Carlos Baleba: Manchester United's Pursuit Reignited
Carlos Baleba has never quite let go of Manchester United. Now, it seems, his camp is testing whether Old Trafford feels the same.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder’s representatives have gone back to United to gauge whether the club are ready to revive a move that once looked inevitable and then collapsed under the weight of Brighton’s demands.
A year on from the £100m stand-off
Wind back to last summer. United made Baleba their priority midfield signing. Personal terms? Done quickly. The player, Romano says, “was pushing like crazy” in August 2025 to get the move over the line. This was the dream: a young, high-energy defensive midfielder anchoring United’s next era.
Then they hit the Brighton wall.
The Seagulls wanted around £100million. United balked. Negotiations stalled, then died. Baleba stayed put, his head clearly turned. His early-season form dipped, the transfer saga leaving its mark. One consequence, though, has now become highly relevant: that price tag has softened. A fee in the region of £70m is now being spoken about.
United walked away once. Baleba never really did.
United’s new midfield build – and the missing piece
The landscape at Old Trafford has shifted since those talks. United have already spent around £85m this summer on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, reshaping the core of their midfield. The plan is clear: more control, more aggression, more legs in the centre of the pitch.
But they still want one more. A third midfielder. Specifically, another defensive-minded presence to give them the platform to dominate games.
Romano says Baleba has moved back into focus as a “potential solution” after other avenues cooled. The failed attempt to land Ederson has opened space on United’s shortlist, and Baleba’s camp has sensed the gap.
Those close to the player, Romano reports, have contacted United to “suggest the possibility to return” to the deal. The push is coming from Baleba’s side. They want to know if United are willing to reopen talks, to see whether the club that once made him their top target is ready to come back.
The message from the player is unchanged: he is “super keen” on United. The decision now sits with the recruitment team that rated him so highly a year ago.
A crowded shortlist, a cold trail warming up
The dynamics around the move are different this time. The previous pursuit was closely tied to the presence of Ruben Amorim in United’s plans. When United and Amorim decided in January not to continue together, Romano notes that the “track has gone cold.” Baleba, once at the top of the list, faded into the background.
Now his name is back on the table, but he is not alone.
United are looking hard across Europe for that final midfield piece. Manu Kone, now at Roma, is one of the options they are actively advancing talks for. Sander Berge at Fulham is another name under consideration, bringing Premier League experience and a different profile. From Real Madrid, Eduardo Camavinga features on the shortlist as well, though he is hardly an easy extraction from the Bernabeu.
Michael Carrick, influential in United’s midfield planning, would love to prise Aurelien Tchouameni from Madrid, but that door is almost shut. Tchouameni is set to sign a new contract, forcing United to pivot towards his team-mate Camavinga instead.
On the domestic front, Alex Scott at Bournemouth has admirers at Old Trafford. United rate him highly, but Bournemouth are determined to keep him for at least another year, making that deal complicated and expensive.
So United have options. Plenty of them. But none, at least emotionally, quite like Baleba.
A decision that defines the window
This is where the story tightens. Baleba’s camp is pushing. The player’s desire for United has never really dimmed. Brighton’s stance is no longer as prohibitive as the £100m barrier that killed the move last year. United still want a defensive midfielder.
Yet the club must now decide whether last summer’s obsession still fits this summer’s plan.
Romano’s line is blunt: “Now it depends on the club [and] whether they want to proceed or not.” The recruitment team has Baleba’s name high on its list again. The player is waiting. The market is moving.
United can keep hunting alternatives across Europe, or they can return to the midfielder who once had his bags half-packed for Old Trafford.
Do they go back for the one that got away, or does this window write a different story for their new midfield?
