Man Utd face Liverpool hijack for £87m target as Romano gives ‘official bid’ update | OneFootball

Man Utd could face competition from Liverpool as they look to bring Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba to Old Trafford, according to reports.

The Red Devils are having another inconsistent season with Ruben Amorim’s side winning just eight of their 19 matches in the Premier League.

Remarkably, Man Utd are currently sixth in the Premier League ahead of their clash against Leeds on Sunday, with Amorim’s men three points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool but just four points ahead of 14th-placed Newcastle.

Man Utd invested heavily over the summer, spending over £200m on five new players, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS saw the club’s attack as their main priority to improve.

The Red Devils were criticised by some fans and pundits for failing to strengthen their midfield despite showing interest in Brighton’s Baleba and Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

There have been rumours that Man Utd will try and sign a midfielder in the January transfer window but a huge investment could have to wait until the summer.

Our friends at TEAMtalk claim that there is a chance that Liverpool attempt to hijack Man Utd’s move for Baleba, who is valued at £87m by Brighton.

Liverpool are now ‘rekindling their interest in Baleba’ but that a move to Anfield will have to wait until the summer as the Reds ‘are unlikely to sign a new midfielder at this moment in time’.

And transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that there has been no official bid from Man Utd and that they are yet to start negotiations in January for the Brighton midfielder.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Man Utd didn’t send any official bid to Brighton. Man Utd did not reach out to Brighton to start an official negotiation in January. But Man United keep talking with the players’ camp.

“Man Utd started conversations with the player’s camp in July, continued in August. Then Brighton decided not to sell the player in the summer. Man Utd still consider Baleba as a key target for 2026. Baleba, Elliot Anderson, they are following several midfielders for 2026.

“They might sign one or two in 2026. Baleba, for sure, remains on Man Utd’s shortlist. Man Utd remain in contact with people close to the player. It’s not a secret, Carlos Baleba would love to move to Man Utd.

“But in terms of making it happen in the January transfer window, from Brighton, the message is very clear. They want to keep the player. They don’t want to sell Baleba in January. So I think the only way to make this deal happen in January would be a very big and crazy proposal.

“We know Brighton, like Red Bull, with these clubs, it’s not easy to negotiate. You really need to put crazy money on the table. And that’s not even a guarantee of making things happen.”