Carlos Baleba's Return to Manchester United: A Transfer Opportunity

Carlos Baleba’s camp has gone back to Manchester United. The message is simple: if you still want him, we’re ready to talk.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder’s representatives have approached United to check whether last summer’s failed move can be revived, with the 22-year-old still “super keen” on making Old Trafford his home.

United’s old obsession returns

A year ago, Baleba sat at the very top of United’s midfield shortlist. Personal terms were quickly agreed, the player pushed “like crazy” for the transfer and saw United as the dream move. The problem was Brighton.

The Seagulls slapped a £100million price tag on him and refused to budge. United, already juggling other priorities, walked away. The deal collapsed, and with it Baleba’s momentum. His form dipped in the opening months of last season, weighed down by a transfer that never happened.

There is a twist now. That £100m valuation has dropped to around £70m. The player is still in his early twenties, still regarded as a long-term holding midfielder, but no longer carries quite the same premium.

United, meanwhile, have not stood still. They have already spent around £85m on Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans this summer, reshaping the centre of the pitch. Yet the recruitment team wants a third addition, a more defensive-minded presence to anchor games and give the side a different edge.

Baleba, once again, is on the table.

Baleba’s side makes the first move

This time, the push is not coming from Old Trafford. It is coming from the player.

“Those close to the player have been in contact again with Man Utd to suggest the possibility to return for Baleba,” Romano explained on his YouTube channel. The initiative is clear: Baleba’s camp want to know if the door is still open.

The dynamic around United’s midfield planning has shifted since January. Back then, when the club and Ruben Amorim decided not to move forward together, the Baleba track went cold. Other targets, other systems, different ideas.

Now, after the collapse of a deal for Ederson and with several negotiations moving in different directions, Baleba’s name has resurfaced inside recruitment meetings. Not as a new discovery, but as a familiar file pulled back off the shelf.

He remains “high on the recruitment team’s list”, Romano says. The desire from the player has never really faded. The question now hangs over the club: do they still see him as the one to complete this midfield rebuild?

A crowded shortlist

Baleba is not the only option. Far from it.

United are deep in conversations across Europe as they search for that third midfielder. Manu Kone, now at Roma, is currently the one they seem to be progressing with the most. Talks there are described as moving forward, with the Frenchman offering a blend of ball-winning and dynamism that fits the brief.

Sander Berge at Fulham is another name under consideration, a Premier League-proven option who would arrive with less fanfare but plenty of reliability. At the very top end of the market, Eduardo Camavinga is admired, though any move for the Real Madrid midfielder would be complex and expensive.

Inside the club, Michael Carrick would love to land Aurelien Tchouameni, but that dream appears out of reach. Tchouameni is set to sign a new contract at Madrid, shutting down that avenue and forcing United to look again at his team-mate Camavinga instead.

Back in the Premier League, Alex Scott remains a player United rate highly. Bournemouth, though, are determined to keep him for at least another season, and have made that stance clear.

So United scan the market, juggling profiles, prices and timelines. Baleba sits among them, a familiar name with unfinished business attached.

Decision time at Old Trafford

For now, nothing is advanced. Baleba’s camp has asked the question. United must answer it.

Do they return for the midfielder who once pushed so hard to wear their shirt, now available at a lower price but still commanding a hefty fee? Or do they press on with Kone, Berge, Camavinga and the rest of the list, chasing a different type of solution for the base of their midfield?

United want a defensive midfielder who can tilt big games their way. Baleba wants to be that player. The next move belongs to Old Trafford.