Bryan Mbeumo tries to keep possession under pressure from Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Bryan Mbeumo (right) could soon be on his way to Manchester United.
There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes and Manchester United attempting to fix their midfield in a summer transfer window.
For the fourth summer running, United are once again in the market for a midfielder. Casemiro, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte have all arrived for big-money fees in each of the last three summers, but United's midfield remains a talking point.
After a lengthy pursuit for Frenkie de Jong's signature went nowhere in 2022, United turned to Casemiro, signing him for an initial fee of £60million from Real Madrid. He was excellent in his first season at the club, developing an excellent partnership with fellow new recruit Christian Eriksen.
The following summer, United wanted to add more energy to their midfield department and paid an initial fee of £55m to sign Mount from Chelsea. However, his first two seasons at the club were ravaged by injury issues.
Following Casemiro's sharp downfall in 2023/24, United swooped for Ugarte last summer to add more steel and grit to their midfield pool. However, his struggles in possession mean that United are now on the hunt for yet another midfielder.
Following the capture of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, the Brazilian is set to take up residency in the left-sided No.10 position, meaning Bruno Fernandes is poised to move into midfield on a permanent basis.
Fernandes is just as influential operating deeper as he is further forward, often pulling the strings and scoring goals, but a debate is being had about who his ideal midfield partner should be.
Eriksen will leave United when his contract expires at the end of this month, Casemiro could be sold, Ugarte has shown his limitations in possession, Mount is more effective as a No.10 in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system and Kobbie Mainoo's long-term position is yet to be established after stints as both a No.8 and a No.10 this season.
Mainoo is a forward-thinking midfielder, renowned for trying to break the lines and get into advanced positions. It means he is not the ideal foil for Fernandes in the beating heart of United's engine room.
Kobbie Mainoo's long-term future remains undecided. (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Instead, United need to try and source a player who is equally comfortable defensively and progressing the ball. United have lacked ball-playing expertise at the base of their midfield for a while. Both Casemiro and Ugarte were recruited for their defensive attributes, which make them excellent destroyers, but they are not the best with the ball at their feet.
United need to try and couple those two particular elements together this summer in their midfield hunt. It is understood a midfielder and a goalkeeper are being targeted alongside Bryan Mbeumo and a striker.
Mbeumo, if United's ambitions fall into place, will become the club's second signing of the summer, following Cunha's £62.5m arrival from Wolves last weekend.
United have taken an ambitious approach to strengthening their attack, targeting two of the Premier League's most attractive attackers. Between them, Cunha and Mbeumo have scored 56 league goals since the start of the 2023/24 season.
United's recruitment has been of a scattergun nature in recent years, but it feels as though there is a welcome shift developing this summer. They need players who have Premier League experience that can come in and hit the ground running.
It is why, in an ideal world, United should be attempting to sign a Premier League proven operator in their search for a midfielder. Brighton & Hove Albion star Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace are just two names that have been on the lips of a lot of United supporters, and either of them would significantly upgrade Amorim's midfield options.
Adam Wharton has developed at a rapid rate of knots. (Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images.)
Baleba ticks a collection of boxes, with his defensive attributes and ability to progress the ball just two of his most eye-catching credentials. Wharton, too, is equally comfortable in and out of possession.
The fact of the matter, however, is that both players, who are under contract until 2028 and 2029 respectively, are valued enormously by their clubs, meaning the challenge of signing either of them would be both tough and expensive.
Brighton reportedly value Baleba at £100m and Palace view Wharton as an £80m player. United, regardless of how proactive they might be in the seller's market, are unlikely to match either of those demands.
While their search to strengthen their attack has led them to obvious targets, United's search for a midfielder might not be as clear cut. This particular puzzle may require some solving.