It is fair to say that Manchester United have moved to address their quality issues at the top end of the pitch in the summer transfer window so far.
Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko have all been brought in to bolster Ruben Amorim's options in the final third, with the hope that they will score the goals to push the Red Devils back into the Champions League.
Manchester United-Sesko
Sesko scored 21 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, and will be hoping to carry that kind of goalscoring threat over to his time in England.
The Slovenia international made his second appearance in the Premier League on Sunday, but is still waiting for his first start in the red and black.
Benjamin-Sesko-Man-Utd-Premier-League
Benjamin Sesko
United also need to look at other areas of the pitch, though, and were reportedly interested in a deal to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Red Devils were reportedly keen to sign the defensive midfielder before Brighton made it clear that he would not be sold this summer, and they ended their pursuit.
What Baleba could have brought to Man Utd
Baleba will not be signing for United, if the latest reports are to be believed, this summer, but the interest is clearly there, and it will be interesting to see whether or not they go reignite it in January or next summer.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba in action with Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic
Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba in action with Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic
The left-footed star could have been an excellent addition to the squad for the current campaign, though, if they had managed to convince Brighton to part ways with him in the current window.
That is because the 21-year-old star is a proven Premier League performer who could have come in as an upgrade on Manuel Ugarte as the holding, or 'defensive', midfielder alongside Bruno Fernandes.
Baleba started 31 matches in the top-flight for Brighton in the 2024/25 campaign and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, winning 55% of his duels, per Sofascore.
What makes the United target stand out, however, is that he has quality on the ball to go along with his combative play out of possession in the middle of the park.
24/25 PL (per 90) Baleba Ugarte
Non-penalty goals 0.10 0.05
Shot-creating actions 2.23 1.56
Progressive passes 3.99 3.08
Progressive carries 1.45 0.81
Key passes 0.71 0.50
Passes into the final third 3.69 2.97
Passes into the penalty area 0.78 0.45
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, Baleba offered more to his team in possession across a host of metrics in comparison to Ugarte in the Premier League last season, which is why he could have been an excellent addition to Amorim's squad.
FFC Manchester United Baleba
Whilst they will not be adding a defensive pillar to their midfield ranks, the Red Devils are reportedly interested in a star who could be an even better signing than Baleba.
£21m star wants to sign for Man Utd
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United target Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens wants to sign for the club before the end of the summer transfer window.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, as relayed by TEAMtalk, Romano said: “Manchester United remain focused on the opportunity to bring in a new goalkeeper before the end of the window. The player they want is Senne Lammens at Royal Antwerp.
“The player is keen on the move. Contacts took place again today, on Saturday, between United and Antwerp. The two clubs are talking. At the moment, [it is] not yet a done deal but [is] advancing as I told you as an exclusive story on Friday.
“The agreement with the player is OK. Club-to-club negotiations: they started at €17million plus €3m in add-ons to reach the package of €20m. Now, Antwerp are asking for something close to €25m for Lammens, so there is negotiation ongoing on the transfer fee, a negotiation on the numbers and the details of the deal. Conversations ongoing for Lammens to United."
senne-lammens-royal-antwerp
Senne Lammens for Royal Antwerp.
Romano further noted on X prior to United's draw with Fulham that a fee was now close to being agreed.
Why Man Utd should sign Senne Lammens
Whilst Baleba would, as aforementioned, have been a solid addition to the squad as an upgrade on Ugarte, the Royal Antwerp star could be a transformational signing.
A goalkeeper is the last line of defence for a team and United, unfortunately, have not had an impressive operator in that position for many, many, years.
andre-onana-man-utd-premier-league
Andre Onana in action for Manchester United.
In the 2024/25 campaign, Andre Onana prevented 0.53 goals (xG) and made three errors that directly led to goals in 34 Premier League starts for the Red Devils, per Sofascore, which shows that he was not outstanding as a shot-stopper and made too many errors.
Lammens' performances for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian Pro League suggest that he has the potential to come in as a monumental upgrade for United between the sticks, which could help to propel Amorim's side to the next level.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig described his form as "simply phenomenal" and it is hard to disagree with that assessment when you compare his shot-stopping to the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League from last season.
|Top performing shot-stoppers in Premier League vs Senne Lammens|
|24/25 season|Goals (xG) prevented|
|---|
|Senne Lammens (Pro League)|+15.57|
|Jordan Pickford (Premier League)|+6.15|
|Matz Sels (Premier League)|+4.55|
|Mark Travers (Premier League)|+4.48|
|Ederson (Premier League)|+4.46|
|Dean Henderson (Premier League)|+3.14|
|Stats via Sofascore|
As you can see in the table above, Lammens prevented a staggering 15.57 xG with his shot-stopping exploits for Royal Antwerp last term, almost ten more goals prevented than any goalkeeper in the Premier League managed.
These statistics suggest that the 23-year-old colossus, who has prevented 1.19 goals in four league games this season, has the potential to be the best shot-stopper in the top-flight, if he can translate his form over to English football.
royal-antwerp-senne-lammens-champions-league
Senne Lammens in action for Royal Antwerp.
Whilst there is no guarantee that he will be able to adapt and deliver the same level of performances, it appears to be a gamble that is well worth taking for United given his unbelievable form for Royal Antwerp.
In theory, his shot-stopping has the potential to prevent United from conceding around 15 goals in comparison to Onana over a Premier League season, which could be a huge difference in points by turning defeats to draws, draws to wins with huge saves.
This is why Lammens would be an even better signing than Baleba, if they can get him playing at his best at Old Trafford, because he could be a transformational addition to the team, rather than just a decent upgrade in one area of the pitch.