Man Utd: Contact made as Fabrizio Romano reveals £70m midfielder ‘crazy’ about joining | OneFootball

The agents of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba have approached Manchester United to gauge their interest in returning to negotiations, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

Man Utd made Baleba their No 1 midfield target last summer, and the two parties soon reached an agreement over personal terms. United then made contact with Brighton, only to be put off by the Seagulls’ huge £100million demands.

The transfer interest affected Baleba, as his performances dipped in the first few months of last season. One benefit for United is that the 22-year-old’s price tag has resultantly dropped to £70m.

So far this summer, the Red Devils have paid a combined £85m to sign Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, and they are now pursuing a relentless third midfielder to help them dominate games in the new campaign.

Romano has confirmed that Baleba has re-emerged as a potential solution for United.

“From my understanding, Baleba, one year ago – August 2025 – was pushing like crazy to go to Man Utd,” the journalist said on his YouTube channel.

“Baleba had an agreement on personal terms with Man Utd. So he had his dream to become a Man Utd player.

“Man Utd couldn’t proceed because Brighton didn’t want to sell the player. He was a top target at that time with Amorim, [but] nothing happened.

“Since January, when Amorim and Man Utd decided not to continue together, the track has gone cold.

“Now, the name is out there again. Why? Because those close to the player have been in contact again with Man Utd to suggest the possibility to return for Baleba.

“So it’s from Baleba’s side that they are trying to understand if Man Utd can return for the boy or not.

“After the Ederson deal off, and all the other developments, from Baleba’s side, they want to understand if there is a chance to reopen conversations and negotiations with Man Utd.

“We know United are looking for a third midfielder, they want to make something happen for another defensive midfielder.

Carlos Baleba ‘super keen’ on Man Utd move – Fabrizio Romano

“We need to understand now if there is going to be a possibility for Baleba – or any other option, because Man Utd are checking on the market – which possibilities can become concrete this summer.

“Baleba is a name that was already high on the recruitment team’s list one year ago. The player is super keen about Man Utd, now it depends on the club [and] whether they want to proceed or not.”

Baleba is far from the only midfielder United are considering. Manu Kone (Roma), Sander Berge (Fulham) and Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) are all on their shortlist.

As things stand, United appear to be making the most progress in talks for Kone.

Michael Carrick would love to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, but he is set to pen a new contract with Madrid, forcing United to consider his team-mate Camavinga.

Alex Scott is another player United are big admirers of, though Bournemouth are determined to retain his services for at least another year.