- Manchester United are still interested in Carlos Baleba
- Cameroonian agreed personal terms last summer
- Reds should steer clear after new valuation by Brighton
Last summer, Manchester United agreed personal terms with Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.
The Cameroonian was so intent on a move to Old Trafford that his subsequent form has noticeably dipped since United first registered their interest.
With their recruitment under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS lead a data-driven strategy to find players. Their next big task is finding Casemiro’s successor. However, the latest reports question whether Baleba remains the right profile and price for United to pursue this summer.
Baleba is a ‘Highly Plausible’ Target
According to Laurie Whitwell from The Athletic, Baleba is a “highly plausible” option for Manchester United this summer.
The Cameroonian has played 31 times for his club in 2025/26, making 23 starts in all competitions. Last season, Baleba made 40 appearances for his side, playing a more integral part in midfield. A point of concern for United’s recruitment team is Baleba’s durability these days. Whitwell notes the midfielder has “completed 90 minutes only three times” this campaign.
However, INEOS and United scouts have also factored in Baleba’s international performances. He enjoyed a good AFCON 2026 with Cameroon alongside Bryan Mbeumo, with the club viewing his “positive tournament across five matches” as a reason to keep pursuing him.
Despite his limited minutes at the Amex, his underlying data still identifies him as an elite box-to-box prospect. The solid performance in the recent 3-0 win against Chelsea points towards a true reflection of his ability.
Baleba Valuation Too High
United hope that his valuation has dropped from the £100m+ that was quoted last summer. However, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook via SimplyUtd, the Seagulls have no intention of selling the midfielder for £50m.
With a contract running until 2028, the Seagulls are under zero pressure to sell, making the financial logistics increasingly difficult for INEOS this summer as well.
Spending yet another summer focused on an unrealistic target feels far-fetched. As the plans seem to be for United to splash out on two new central midfielders, Baleba seems to profile as a second midfielder.
Spending upwards of £50m on a secondary piece is not feasible when finances are still tight. A departure for Manuel Ugarte would almost certainly need to happen in order to entertain any formal bids to Brighton.
United’s budget needs to spread to left-back, centre-back, left-wing, and a backup striker as well. These are key areas which will determine just how far the Red Devils will go in the Champions League. Spending three figures on a player will blow the club record fee out of the park, set by Paul Pogba. It seems like that will finally be broken this summer, most likely for Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest. The Englishman offers significantly better long-term value for his profile of being a ‘complete’ midfielder.
Being interested in Baleba is a fine line between measuring the importance of recruiting in midfield and leaving other areas vulnerable heading into 2026/27.
