Romano reveals Man Utd transfer ‘guarantee’ as one deal ‘should be’ completed ‘by mid-January’ | OneFootball

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed a “guarantee” regarding Manchester United’s search for a new midfielder, while one deal ‘should’ get done.

Man Utd are likely to be active in the next two transfer windows as they look to continue their progression under head coach Ruben Amorim.

In the summer, the Red Devils spent around £230m on signings and offloaded most of their dead wood to improve after their embarrassing campaign in 2024/25.

Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have made a huge impact at the start of this season, but they still need upgrades in certain positions.

This is especially the case in midfield and there could be a major overhaul in this department next year as Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes have been linked with exits in recent weeks.

Man Utd could look to raise funds through player sales in the coming months, with Joshua Zirkzee looking the most likely to move elsewhere.

Zirkzee has only been a bit-part player for United this term and is being heavily linked with a move to AS Roma.

Now, a report from Gazzetta dello Sport claims Zirkzee’s move to Roma ‘should be done by mid-January’, while Corriere dello Sport claims they are currently offering a loan with a buy option and are around 10 million euros shy of Man Utd’s 40 million euro asking price.

Any funds for Zirkzee could be used to land a new midfielder after they were priced out of a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba in the summer.

Man Utd have also been linked with several potential alternatives, but Romano insists Baleba is “still seen as an ideal solution”.

“In terms of midfielders, one of the names I want to maintain since August on Man Utd’s shortlist is Carlos Baleba, because Man Utd – I can guarantee – have not stopped discussing the name of Carlos Baleba internally. Baleba is still seen as an ideal solution by Ruben Amorim and the people at the club,” Romano revealed on his YouTube channel.

“Together with Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace and Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest, Baleba is seen as one of the ideal midfielders for Amorim.

“So Baleba is super appreciated by Man Utd. A January move is still seen as unlikely, but any moment – January or summer – if Brighton decide to open the door to an exit, Man Utd remain absolutely interested in the player. They remain in contact with people close to the player.

“There were rumours in December about Bayern Munich being interested in Carlos Baleba. From what I am told, Bayern, at this stage, are not working on a deal for Baleba. They feel that the player wants to stay in England. They feel that last summer he wanted to go to Man Utd, and Bayern are aware of that.

“They have not started a proper negotiation for Baleba as of today. If something changes in the summer, I will let you know. But as of today, January 2026, Bayern are not seriously working on a deal to sign Carlos Baleba.”