Manchester United are being pulled ever closer to the new Premier League season, and there is a sense that INEOS and Michael Carrick need to intensify the summer rebuild.
In a sharp change of pace, United can expect to compete on four fronts next season, back in the Champions League and with a hunger to progress in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. All the while looking to upset the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the league ladder.
Man United in the Premier League (2025/26)
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United have ruffled feathers at times in this post-Fergie world, but they have never cemented a concrete title charge. After a remarkable turnaround under Carrick last year, who replaced Ruben Amorim in January, hope is on the rise once more at Old Trafford.
Those in the theatre are dreaming once again, but they still have holes to fill, especially in midfield, even with Andrey Santos already signed for a pretty penny.
Why Man Utd paid big money for Santos
Casemiro is gone, and with him, not just technical quality and a combative defensive style, but spirit and resourcefulness and unrivalled experience at the very top of the game. He will be a big miss, and his Brazilian countryman Santos has stepped into big boots indeed.
Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos
United signed the 22-year-old from Chelsea for a £50m fee this summer. He had previously spent a term-and-a-half on loan in France with Strasbourg, where talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed him as a "one-man war machine in midfield."
There are good duellers all over the place, but Santos produces ball-winning performances in the extreme. He is tidy on the ball and resourceful enough, but lacks the completeness and the confidence to be responsible for United's on-the-ball progression. In that, he could be a neat contrasting partner for Kobbie Mainoo.
Santos isn't enough to secure for Man United the season they are dreaming of. After all, he only started 13 times in the Premier League last year for Chelsea, leaving a lot to be desired there.
The clock is ticking, and with a deal for Atalanta's Ederson having fallen through earlier this month, it's clear that the Red Devils have the means and the will to sign another midfielder.
How Man Utd can sign an upgrade on Santos and Ederson
Man United find themselves linked with every player under the sun each time the transfer window comes around, and this year has been no different. Some rumours are firmer than others, though, with a long-time target re-emerging as an option for Carrick's side.
According to Fabrizio Romano during one of his many YouTube updates, Man United are interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, though whether they will re-open talks with the Seagulls remains to be seen.
Carlos Baleba is a player who would be super keen on signing for Manchester United. Already, one year ago, Baleba wanted to go to Man United. It's on Man United to decide if they want to return to talks with Brighton or not.
Carlos Baleba for Brighton
Whereas last year Brighton quoted Man United at £100m, a more affordable £75m deal could be enough to get this one over the line now, with the Cameroonian having had a less-than-spectacular year in the Premier League.
But he's still young, and he showed across the 2024/25 campaign that he can produce and sustain an elite level in the Premier League. In that, he has gone one further than Santos already, while Ederson has not yet stepped into the big time.
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The 27-year-old Ederson is a powerful and imposing midfielder, but he's not as inherently progressive as Baleba, whose explosiveness can be directed toward assisting attacks as well as protecting the backline, recycling possession.
Moreover, Santos lacks that sparkle in attacking sequences too. For Chelsea in the Premier League last year, he completed 0.07 dribbles per game.
Baleba would provide the Red Devils with the best of both worlds. He would actually be an interesting partner for a midfielder like Santos, and if he returns to his past form in the Premier League, he would also establish himself as a significant Ederson upgrade.
Carlos Baleba in the Premier League
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Hailed as a "monster" of a midfielder by journalist Eduardo Hagn, you get the sense that Baleba needs a change of scenery to return to his former standard. He's been there before, and he's still so young. Indeed, across the 2024/25 campaign, you could even argue he reached a level that both Ederson and Santos have not achieved themselves.
He'd cost more than Atalanta's Brazilian star: a £35m deal had been agreed for that one. But then, Carrick would land a midfielder with Premier League experience and the potential to become a superstar, far outstripping the now former target.
Could Man United pull this off? They need to add another midfielder to their mix this summer, and Baleba's desperation to play for the club, dating back to an unfortunate 2025 saga, could see them pull off an absolute blinder, packing a physical punch in the middle of the park that befits a club searching for titles and success out in Europe.
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