Man Utd can complete huge midfield signing with deal loosely agreed – top source | OneFootball

Manchester United have the opportunity to complete a blockbuster signing in midfield on the back of three failures, with a top reporter detailing the tempting situation.

Any hopes of Man Utd quickly completing their anticipated triple signing in midfield are already over. Ederson did arrive promptly from Atalanta, though reluctance to pay big fees have since scuppered three other deals.

United refused to go anywhere near the £116m Manchester City have paid for Elliot Anderson. £85m in fully guaranteed payments for Mateus Fernandes was deemed excessive, and their reluctance to bid £100m for Sandro Tonali has resulted in Tottenham sealing a £185m double coup for the pair.

The Red Devils must now look elsewhere, with the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler – who specialises in covering Man Utd – naming six targets in their sights.

The six are Aurelien Tchouameni, Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton, Felix Nmecha, Tyler Adams and Alex Scott.

Wheeler noted Man Utd haven’t shown any great urgency in attempting to forge deals for Baleba and Wharton, who earlier in 2026, featured much higher on United’s shortlist.

But with other options slipping away, trusted reporter, Ben Jacobs, has revealed a deal is there to be made for Baleba is Man Utd simply get in contact with Brighton.

Man Utd can sign Carlos Baleba if they want

Speaking on The United Stand, Jacobs declared: “I sense they’ve got other targets ahead of Baleba. But it’s a deal they don’t really need to prioritise as much as others, because that is a scenario of a player who wants Man Utd, who has loose personal terms in place from last summer.

“So if they want to do Baleba, they just have to go to Brighton.”

As mentioned, Man Utd had agreed personal terms with Baleba last summer. However, Brighton’s £100m asking price laid waste to United’s ambitions of pulling off the coup at that time.

Baleba subsequently endured a difficult season that in theory, should have seen his giant £100m asking price tumble.

But according to the Manchester Evening News, there is little indication The Seagulls will accept a discount on Baleba given how inflated the midfielders market is right now.

They explained: ‘Baleba is arguably the third midfielder United have stepped away from due to a high asking price in the last 12 months.

‘They were interested in signing him 12 months ago, but were put off by Brighton’s demands of £100million.

‘They remain interested in Baleba but there has been little sign of movement so far this summer.

‘Despite the 22-year-old enduring a difficult campaign in Sussex, Brighton haven’t significantly dropped the price they want for a sale.’

If the window rolls on without United getting another body in the door and desperation sets in, Baleba is a player they can sign, it’s just a matter of opening the chequebook.