Manchester United have reportedly pinpointed Brighton and Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba as their prime midfield target.
According to Wednesday reports, the Reds have reached out to their Premier League counterparts to discuss the terms of a potential summer transfer. The Athletic has reported that United have initiated contact through intermediaries.
So far this summer, United have added two new forwards to their squad and are accelerating their chase for a striker. Benjamin Sesko is believed to favour a move to Old Trafford over Newcastle, with United offering €75million (£65.3m) plus an additional €10m (£8.7m) in add-ons.
Once Sesko's transfer is finalised, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada are expected to prioritise securing a midfielder. Although a deal for Baleba may prove challenging, the 21 year old midfielder is one of Europe's most coveted players.
However, similar to Bryan Mbeumo, United must prepare for the possibility of being without Baleba for up to six matches later in the season if he joins Ruben Amorim's team.
Baleba, who is valued at €87m (£75.9m) by CIES Football Observatory, is anticipated to join Mbeumo and Andre Onana at the African Cup of Nations at the end of the year. The tournament commences on December 21 and concludes on January 18, 2026.
Cameroon find themselves in Group F, alongside Ivory Coast, Gabon and Mozambique, with matches scheduled for December 24, 28 and 31. Should they secure a spot in the knockout stages by finishing first or second, their last 16 match will take place on either January 4 or January 6.
This implies that if Baleba is selected, he will certainly be absent from the Premier League matches against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Wolves. Advancing further would result in him missing the journey to Leeds United on January 3.
Depending on Cameroon's progress, he might also miss the back-to-back matches against Burnley and Manchester City on January 7 and January 17. Mbeumo, Onana, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui are all expected to participate in the tournament.
The following are the United fixtures Baleba could potentially miss due to AFCON 2025:
December 20th: Aston Villa (A).
December 27th: Newcastle (H).
December 30th: Wolves (H).
January 3rd: Leeds United (A).
January 7th: Burnley (A).
January 17th: Man City (H).