Manchester United's Midfield Puzzle: Baleba's Potential Move

Manchester United hold a clear green light from one of their long-term targets, yet the club’s midfield puzzle remains unsolved as pre-season gathers pace.

Michael Carrick’s side have already put down an early marker with a 5-0 demolition of Rosenborg, their second friendly of the summer, and the squad is slowly taking shape. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are through the door, with work ongoing to add another central midfielder, a left-back and potentially a forward, depending on outgoings.

The priority is obvious. United have lost Casemiro and, in an era where the game revolves around the pivot, the next holding midfielder will define how this team plays.

Baleba: the move that never happened

Carlos Baleba has been on that list before. He is still on it now.

United pushed hard for the Brighton midfielder in January and had tracked him long before that. The interest stretches back to last summer, when, according to Fabrizio Romano, the player did everything he could to force the move.

“Baleba one year ago… was pushing like crazy to go to Man United, and Baleba had an agreement on personal terms with Man United,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “So he had his dream to become a Man United player. Then Man United couldn't proceed because Brighton didn't want to sell the player.”

The deal died there. Brighton dug in, United moved on, and the Cameroonian stayed put.

At that stage, Baleba was viewed as a top target under the Amorim-led project that never materialised at Old Trafford. Once United and Amorim went their separate ways in January, the trail went cold. The club shifted focus, the name drifted out of the headlines, and the midfielder quietly continued his development on the south coast.

Now it’s back.

Not because United have launched a fresh offensive, but because the player’s camp has reopened the line.

“Those close to the player have been in contact again with Man United to suggest the possibility to return for Baleba,” Romano explained. With other midfield pursuits, such as Ederson, falling away, Baleba’s side want clarity: is there a way to revive talks, or is the door closed?

From the player’s perspective, nothing has changed. The dream remains Old Trafford. The question is whether United still see him as the answer at the base of their midfield.

A ‘monster’ with a heavy price tag

Baleba is only 22, but his reputation has grown quickly. Physically imposing, aggressive without the ball and confident in possession, he has already shown he can handle the Premier League’s tempo and intensity.

Inside Brighton, belief in his ceiling has been strong. Former manager Roberto De Zerbi was unequivocal: “I believe in Carlos. He can become one of the best players in the Premier League in the future, for sure.”

Others outside the club have seen the same signs. Former Premier League midfielder Charlie Adam called himself “a big fan” of Baleba, highlighting the impact he and Yasin Ayari made when Brighton won at Old Trafford. “I thought they were excellent,” Adam said. “The Cameroonian is a very good player, 21 years of age. I think that he’s been something that’s different from what’s been in the Premier League.”

That blend of youth, profile and proven adaptation to English football comes at a cost. Brighton do not sell cheaply, and while Baleba’s exact price tag this summer is not yet clear, it is expected to be north of £70 million.

For United, that figure poses a familiar dilemma. Invest heavily in a player who could anchor their midfield for the next decade, or spread resources across multiple positions in a squad that still needs surgery at left-back and up front.

United’s decision point

Carrick and the recruitment team know the stakes. The holding midfielder they choose now will sit behind Tielemans and Santos, dictate the tempo, protect the defence and set the platform for United’s more expressive players. Get it right, and the team suddenly looks balanced. Get it wrong, and the same structural issues will reappear before autumn has even begun.

Baleba’s camp has made its move. The player is ready, again, to say yes.

The next move belongs to Manchester United.