Carlos Baleba: United ready to reignite their pursuit

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The Peoples Person

13 July 2026

Manchester United’s midfield revamp is finally taking shape, and there could be more good news on the way, if a recent report is to be believed.

So far this summer window, the Red Devils have missed out on signing

Elliot Anderson

, Sandro Tonali, and

Mateus Fernandes

, while they

tore up their agreement for Ederson

due to medical issues.

Fans were rightly worried, considering the new season was only a month away, with new head coach

Michael Carrick

desperately short on options.

Thankfully, INEOS finally woke up from their slumber — and in some style— closing deals for

Andrey Santos

Youri Tielemans

, and Karl Darlow.

Both the Brazilian and Belgian are expected to slot straight into the midfield, with the head coach asking for one more recruit.

With a tempo-setter and snappy passer already recruited, what the 20-time English league champions really need now is a physical monster capable of covering ground while winning duels with ease.

Last summer, United had identified

Carlos Baleba

for that role, but

Brighton & Hove Albion’s valuation

meant a deal did not materialise.

The Seagulls are known to be tough negotiators, which explains

why United have stayed away so far

, but

Galatasaray’s recent negotiations

with the team from the Amex Stadium have given INEOS hope.

According to

Football Insider

, United are ready to revisit their interest in the Cameroonian should Brighton lower their asking price.

As things stand, the team from the South Coast could be willing to do just that, but how much is currently not clear.

“Manchester United could reignite their interest in

if they are given encouragement by Brighton, sources have told Football Insider.

The 22-year-old was a top target for

Man United

last summer, before Brighton placed a £100million price tag on him and ended any speculation over his future.

“Brighton may be prepared to drop Baleba’s asking price, leading to fresh interest.

could step up their efforts to sign the Cameroon international should his price tag be lowered, having already missed out on a number of midfield targets this summer.”

It has been claimed that United

were ready to offer £75 million

to Brighton last season, but following the 22-year-old’s struggles last term, INEOS would prefer to pay less this time out.

Whether Brighton agree remains to be seen. An exciting next couple of weeks await fans as they try to figure out who that third midfield recruit will be.

Feature image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images

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