Man Utd have identified Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba as the player they want to replace Casemiro in the summer, according to reports.
The Red Devils have made it their priority to sign at least two new midfielders in the summer after they neglected that position in the last summer transfer window.
Man Utd spent around £200m on three attacking signings in Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo, with many Red Devils fans unhappy at the lack of investment in midfield.
However, Man Utd have allocated a huge part of their transfer budget for the upcoming window to bringing in new midfielders with numerous names linked.
It looks like top transfer target Elliot Anderson will be hard to bring in this summer with Nottingham Forest reportedly asking for around £120m for his services, while Man City are believed to be leading the race for the England international.
Fabrizio Romano insisted over the weekend that Baleba is still one of the top targets at Old Trafford along with a number of other names.
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Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Man United also like Sandro Tonali, he’s another name they have on the shortlist.
“Ederson from Atlanta could be a backup option in the list of Manchester United, available for €40-45m.
“So there is plenty of names, but Man United will very soon decide.
“And again, don’t forget Carlos Baleba, who has been on the list of Man United since summer 2025, and I think could still be an interesting name to follow for this transfer window.”
And now Caught Offside claims that Man Utd are ‘believed to be leading the race’ for Baleba with the Red Devils viewing the Brighton star ‘as a potential cornerstone of their rebuild, a player who can anchor the midfield for years to come’.
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Man Utd could get Baleba for €75-80m this summer after previously been quoted €100m last year and the management team at Old Trafford see Baleba as the ‘new Casemiro’.
Caught Offside credit Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich with interest in Baleba, while Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea are both monitoring the situation.
It’s unlikely all the Champions League money will go on new players
Sky Sports duo Rob Dorsett and Dan Khan have slightly tempered expectations about huge spending at Old Trafford in the summer despite Man Utd recently confirming their place in the Champions League next season.
The pair wrote: ‘Even if United lose every Champions League match, they will earn up to £70m from the additional broadcast revenue, ticket sales, merchandising, corporate activity and more. And they will automatically get an extra £10m from Adidas, their kit supplier, by being back in the European big time.
‘But the existing squad sees a boost to their wages as a result of making the Champions League, so that is immediately a higher cost to the club. And it is far too simplistic – and misleading – to think that United will be able to spend all of their new Champions League money on new players.
‘Don’t forget the club’s plan to have a massive new 100,000-seater stadium ready for business in the next five to six years.’
