Manchester United’s main priority right now in the transfer window is midfield with Carlos Baleba seen as the number one target.
This summer has already surpassed the expectations of many Manchester United fans, after belief the club was broke and no Champions League football only furthering concern.
The lack of cash-flow saw United linked with signing free agent strikers such as Jamie Vardy and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which wouldn’t have gone down well.
However, these fears ended up to be misplaced, as after spending £127.5m on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, United also broke the bank on a new starting striker.
United announced the signing of Benjamin Sesko last week, with the Slovenian costing £66m which will be a bargain if he can become the player most of Europe assumes that he will.
Incredibly, United aren’t done yet, with Jason Wilcox and the transfer team now considering a move for Carlos Baleba.
Carlos Baleba of Brighton in action.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Manchester United would love to sign Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton
Nobody saw Manchester United’s move for Baleba coming, with fans almost willing the interest into existence over the past few months.
United are keen to see if a deal for Baleba is feasible this summer, with the acceptance that in 12 months he will likely have most of Europe knocking down his door.
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While Brighton are tough negotiators, United are hoping that they can sway the Seagulls to sell this summer. But it will cost more than £100m to make it happen, with £112 being the number most recently suggested.
Now, the Independent have claimed that United have one main preferred alternative in the form of Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace.
United are big fans of Wharton and he is probably the next best thing to Baleba, but the report goes on to suggest that long-term Ineos want to have both.
It is explained that while Wharton is an alternative this summer, United hold an interest in pairing Baleba and the Englishman together.
This would certainly be a blockbuster midfield but TBR football have reported that Wharton wouldn’t be sold for less than £100m, making this just as tough as Baleba.
Manchester United could have the best three-man midfield in the world
The idea of adding Wharton alongside Baleba in the summer of 2026 is completely ludicrous, but after this summer, we are believers that anything is possible in the market.
It would in theory give United a really well rounded pairing, however, when adding Kobbie Mainoo to the mix, the club would have three of the best midfielders in the Premier League for the next decade.
Ruben Amorim would have to adapt and play a three man midfield, sacrificing a defender perhaps, because the trio together are such a complete midfield, as the DataMB graphic below demonstrates.
Kobbie Mainoo, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton compared with DataMB graphic.
Kobbie Mainoo, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton compared with DataMB graphic.
The combined trio is the stuff of dreams, ticking every box, with Baleba as the deeper of the three and then Mainoo and Wharton as two number eights.
Unfortunately, the chances of this happening are probably very slim as it would be £215m or more on two midfielders, but never say never.