Manchester United's Midfield Rebuild Faces Challenges

Manchester United’s midfield rebuild has hit turbulence on two fronts, with Carlos Baleba and Aurelien Tchouameni suddenly looking far less attainable than they did a few weeks ago.

Erik ten Hag’s squad has already been reshaped in the middle of the park. Youri Tielemans has arrived from Aston Villa, Andrey Santos from Chelsea. Two fresh options, two different profiles, and a clear message from Old Trafford: the days of overpaying in panic are supposed to be over.

But the search for a third midfielder is proving far more complicated.

United stall as targets twist

Earlier in the summer, United came close to tying up a deal for Atalanta’s Ederson. That move collapsed late over medical concerns, a reminder of how ruthless the club now want to be with their due diligence. The new regime will walk away rather than be backed into a corner.

Attention then turned to a cluster of names. Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has detailed how Roma and France midfielder Manu Kone has moved towards the top of United’s shortlist, with Brighton’s Baleba also firmly in the frame.

Romano outlined the situation: United have held “concrete conversations” with Kone’s representatives and made it clear to the player’s camp that he is under serious consideration. Crucially, though, there has been no official approach to Roma. No bid, no club-to-club talks. The choice of profile for that defensive midfield role is still being argued over inside Carrington.

Danilo, from Brazil, has also been offered to United, but that interest has not been driven from Manchester. United phoned Kone’s agent; Danilo’s name came the other way. It underlines how open the story remains. The shortlist is fluid, the order of preference not yet fixed.

Baleba sits in that same bracket. By all accounts, he would jump at the chance to join United. Romano has revealed that the Brighton midfielder was keen on a move to Old Trafford as far back as a year ago. The desire is there. The decision, though, lies entirely with United: do they re-open talks with Brighton or walk away?

Baleba blow complicates the picture

Just as that question hung in the air, the landscape shifted.

David Ornstein of The Athletic has reported that Baleba has suffered an ankle ligament injury that has wrecked his pre-season plans. Brighton fear he could be a doubt for the start of the 2026-27 campaign, though the club’s hope is that the issue will not keep him out long term.

The timing is brutal. If United choose to move for Baleba before the window closes, they would be backing a player who may have to race against the clock to prove his fitness before the end of the month. For a club determined not to gamble recklessly, that is a serious complication.

United know this player well. Ornstein notes that they had broadly agreed personal terms with Baleba last summer and monitored him closely throughout the 2025-26 season. They chose instead to bring in Santos and Tielemans to bolster their midfield, but the interest in Baleba never fully disappeared.

Now they face a different equation: a long-admired target, a manageable deal, but a fresh medical red flag. After the Ederson experience, do they really roll those dice?

Transfer insider Ben Jacobs believes the power still lies with United. Speaking to The United Stand, he stated that if United want Baleba, they can get him. The same, he said, applies to Sander Berge and Tyler Adams, who also sit among the most realistic options on the market for United’s third midfield slot.

Yet there is another twist. Jacobs also raised the possibility that United simply stop at two signings in midfield and refuse to be dragged into a late-window scramble. No panic buys. No repeat of old mistakes.

Rodri’s Barcelona preference shuts another door

As if the Baleba situation was not awkward enough, events in Spain have made life harder for United in a very different way.

Aurelien Tchouameni has long been admired at Old Trafford. Any hope of prising him away from Real Madrid, though, always depended on a domino falling at the Etihad.

That domino was Rodri.

According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the Manchester City midfielder has now informed Real Madrid that his preference is to join Barcelona, not the European champions. Both City and Real are aware of his stance. Barcelona’s interest in Rodri is longstanding and has intensified since Frenkie de Jong’s injury, with the Catalan club convinced he would be a perfect fit for Hansi Flick’s system. Rodri, for his part, is understood to believe he would thrive in Barça’s style.

All of which leaves Real Madrid with a simple calculation. If Rodri is pushing for Barcelona, not the Bernabeu, why weaken their own midfield by letting Tchouameni go?

Hawkins reports that an offer of around €60–70m could persuade City to sell Rodri, provided Barcelona can find the money. Until that happens, Real have little incentive to sanction a Tchouameni exit. United’s hopes of exploiting a reshuffle in Madrid’s engine room may have to be parked for at least another season.

A test of United’s new transfer discipline

So United stand at a crossroads. The club wants a third midfielder but refuses to be dragged into the kind of chaotic, inflated deal that has defined too many of their recent windows.

Baleba is injured. Tchouameni is likely blocked. Kone is available in theory, but no bid has gone in. Danilo, Berge, Adams – all viable, none yet chosen.

The market is moving. The question now is whether United do the same, or hold their nerve and trust that two midfield signings are enough for the battles to come.