Manchester United's Renewed Pursuit of Carlos Baleba

Manchester United’s long-running pursuit of Carlos Baleba has flickered back into life, with the Brighton midfielder’s camp making the first move to drag the deal off ice.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Baleba’s representatives have approached United to test whether the club are ready to return to the negotiating table, a year after a proposed transfer collapsed under Brighton’s demands.

A year on from the £100m stand-off

Last summer, United made Baleba their priority midfield signing. Personal terms were quickly agreed, the player fully sold on the idea of Old Trafford. Romano describes the 22-year-old as having “pushed like crazy” for the move in August 2025, desperate to turn his agreement into a completed transfer.

The problem was Brighton. The Seagulls slapped a £100million price tag on Baleba and refused to budge. United, already wary of overpaying in a sensitive market, walked away.

The saga left a mark. Baleba’s form dipped in the early months of last season, the weight of a failed big move clearly heavy on his shoulders. One consequence, though, is that Brighton’s stance has softened. The asking price has dropped to around £70m – still significant, but no longer in the fantasy bracket.

United’s midfield rebuild – and a familiar name

United have not stood still. This summer they have already committed around £85m on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, reshaping the heart of their team with two very different profiles: Santos with energy and bite, Tielemans with craft and experience.

They still want more. The recruitment team remains intent on adding a third midfielder, specifically a defensive presence who can anchor games and allow the side to dominate without the ball as much as with it.

That is where Baleba comes back into view.

“Now, the name is out there again,” Romano explained on his YouTube channel, detailing how those close to the player have re-established contact with United. This time, it is Baleba’s side driving the conversation, trying to discover whether the club are prepared to reopen talks in the wake of other targets slipping away, including the collapsed move for Ederson.

For United, Baleba is not a new idea hastily thrown together late in the window. Romano points out that he sat high on the club’s recruitment list a year ago and remains firmly on their radar. The player, he adds, is still “super keen” on the move. The dream has not faded; it is simply been parked.

Now the decision lies with United: revive a long-standing target at a slightly more realistic fee, or look elsewhere.

Alternatives on the table

Baleba is one of several options under serious consideration.

• Manu Kone, now at Roma, is understood to be the midfielder United are making the most tangible progress on at present.
• Sander Berge of Fulham is another name in the frame, a Premier League-proven option who offers physicality and reliability.
• At the top end of the market sit Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni. Michael Carrick would jump at the chance to bring Tchouameni to Old Trafford, but the Frenchman is set to sign a new contract with Real Madrid, shutting that door and nudging United to assess the more attainable Camavinga instead.
• Alex Scott is also admired internally. Bournemouth, though, are determined to keep the highly rated youngster for at least another season, and are prepared to resist heavy interest to do so.

So United weigh it all up. A long-term target whose camp is pushing hard to resurrect a move. A price tag that has dropped, but not dramatically. Alternatives scattered across Europe, each with their own complications.

Baleba still wants Old Trafford. United still want a defensive midfielder. The window is open. How bold are they prepared to be this time?