Manchester United have been attempting to sign Carlos Baleba, currently without success.
Amid a desire to sign a new midfielder, Carlos Baleba has been top of Manchester United’s wishlist.
United held talks with Brighton, ready to make a club transfer record move, but the hierarchy at his current club rejected the Red Devils’ approach.
Brighton told United that Baleba was not for sale, attempting to draw a line under the saga until the end of the transfer window.
Carlos Baleba plays for Brighton in August 2025, vs Fulham
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Carlos Baleba returns to action
Carlos Baleba had missed Brighton’s final pre-season game with injury, but went straight into their starting line-up for their Premier League opener.
Baleba played 69 minutes in Brighton’s 1-1 draw with Fulham. They were leading 1-0 before he went off, with Fulham scoring an injury-time equaliser.
After the game, Baleba posted a cheeky message on Instagram, reflecting his mindset, appearing to brush off the transfer speculation.
He wrote: “Just me doing the thing I love most. Had fun playing at home with the boys
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“Nothing new here, just my number and a haircut 🙂”
Baleba added a tag: “#areyouabaleba“.
His message was inundated with responses from Manchester United supporters, urging him to agitate for a transfer move.
How Carlos Baleba played
Carlos Baleba made five defensive contributions in Brighton’s draw, and attempted one shot at goal, that finished wide.
Baleba completed 90 percent of his passes, making 34 touches in total. He had a 7.2 rating on statistics-site FotMob.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler insists Baleba will be staying put, and it looks like Manchester United will have to look elsewhere this summer.
This presents United with a decision to make, whether to spend the Baleba money on another top class alternative now, or sign a stop-gap this summer and go back in for the midfielder in 2026.