Manchester United could renew their interest in Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba on one condition this summer, reports insider Pete O’Rourke.
United were believed to have had two new midfielders in place as of a few days ago. Indeed, an agreement on all sides was in place for Atalanta midfielder Ederson, while they then came to an agreement to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea.
While the latter move is expected to go through without a hitch, the Red Devils called off the Ederson transfer.
They are now on the hunt for another midfielder, and after they spent a long time looking at Brighton’s Baleba, O’Rourke suggests they could go back in, but the conditions of a deal will have to change.
He told Football Insider: “I still think there’s midfielders on the radar for Man United. They’ll be obviously delighted to get a deal for Andrey Santos over the line. They might revisit a potential deal for Carlos Baleba at Brighton who they were interested in signing last summer and is still very much on their radar.
“And if they get an indication that Brighton could maybe drop their asking price for Baleba, then they might step up their interest in him.
“Man United ideally were looking to bring in three midfielders this summer, with Casemiro leaving and now [Manuel] Ugarte is out for a long-term injury as well, so they’re a bit short in that department.”
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Baleba price drop not enough yet
Our friends at TEAMtalk recently suggested that Baleba remains on the radar at Old Trafford, but while they have dropped his price tag down to around £70million, that is still too much for United.
Indeed, they are wanting to sign players in and around the £50million region, which is why they went for Santos.
They have another budget option in mind – Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams. They believe he, too, would command a fee in the region of £50million.
United have been in touch with the Cherries to discuss the potential of signing the United States international, though it’s not clear how active they will be in pursuit.
The Red Devils will certainly be looking to sign a second midfielder this summer, but who they go hardest for, at this point, is not evident.
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