Man United have used intermediaries to connect with Brighton about the case of Carlos Baleba. Currently, the Cameroonian star's contract with the Amex team is only 3 years old and Brighton is not really interested in selling this midfielder.
Currently, there are many big teams in the Premier League interested in Baleba. This could put the 21-year-old midfielder's value much higher than reality. Brighton's determination to keep Baleba could be a move for the team to push player prices even higher.
If the £100 million figure remains the same, fans understand that Man United cannot recruit Baleba at the moment, especially after they just spent more than £70 million to welcome Benjamin Sesko from Leipzig. However, if this summer they can liquidate a series of surplus names, the "Red Devils" can spend a lot.
In the past, the most pressing problem for Man United was the center forward who was solved with the signature of Benjamin Sesko. After that, the team continued to consider the remaining options and the notable position was defensive midfielder. Casemiro is getting old, Manuel Ugarte is not really excellent and Toby Collyer is too inexperienced.
In many cases, Ruben Amorim can let Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo play as "number 6" but that will be extremely dangerous for the defense. Therefore, when the attacking trio is completed, Man United will try to patch the remaining holes.
Carlos Baleba joined Brighton from Lille in the summer of 2023 with a contract worth nearly £26 million. Throughout his time playing in the Premier League, the Cameroonian international has established himself as one of the most promising young midfielders in the league.
Last season, Baleba made 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring 4 goals and providing 2 assists. In addition, Baleba has made 7 appearances for the Cameroon team in official tournaments.
Carlos Baleba was brought in by Brighton to replace Moises Caicedo, who had previously sold to Chelsea. In just 2 seasons, the Cameroonian midfielder has made Amex fans forget about Caicedo.
In Baleba, fans can see all the qualities of a versatile midfielder. From defense, attack to ball distribution, Baleba did well. He was nicknamed Rio Ferdinand as the midfielder of "box-to-box dynamo". When Baleba has the ball in his feet, the strikers and midfielders can move to create tactical formation blocks, just waiting for Baleba to put the ball in the right position.
If he had always owned Baleba this summer, it is very likely that Man United could not have bought so big in the summer of 2026. However, if we have new players and a good football team in the coming season, with good results and returning to the European Cup, other blockbuster names are promised to continue to visit Old Trafford.
