The latest Man Utd transfer news and opinion as they continue to be linked with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
Isaac is a senior NCTJ-trained journalist with an MA in News Journalism. He has experience of working for national and regional news organisations including the Express, the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo. He currently covers sport across all regional sites at Reach PLC.
Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim.(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United finally have their man as new signing, Benjamin Sesko, smiled and waved in front of a joyous Old Trafford crowd on Saturday.
United desperately needed a new No.9 after scoring a meagre 44 goals in the Premier League last season. No one yet knows if the arrivals of Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha will fix United’s biggest weakness, from last term, but they certainly should offer a greater chance of firepower to a team that badly needed it.
However, no one at M16 is under the impression that United’s problems have been solved by one summer transfer window. Sales will be the next priority, with wantaway stars Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, and Antony all still training from the main group at Carrington.
But the evidence on display in United’s final pre-season friendly of the summer – against Fiorentina this weekend – suggests that one glaring weakness is only likely to hold Ruben Amorim‘s team back. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro looked every bit of his 33 years against the Serie A side.
It continued a running theme of the former Real Madrid star’s recent career at United. After impressing during his debut campaign under then-United boss Erik ten Hag – age and injuries appeared to catch up with him soon after.
He began to improve towards the end of 2024/2025 as he played an important role in United’s run to the Europa League final. However, Father Time can only be held off for so long, and the club may be making a mistake if they don’t go on to sign a replacement before the summer window closes on September 1.
Brighton’s Carlos Baleba has been heavily linked in recent days – and it’s easy to see why. The Cameroonian’s pace, power and technical ability would make him an asset to any team.
At 21, he still remains the unfinished article, and there must be some concern that United may be looking to target too many unproven talents.
Brighton’s hard-nosed stance may help United in that respect. The Seagulls are said to want around £100million for their star midfielder – so it won’t be the worst scenario for all parties if he spends one more year on the south coast to develop further.
However, it would surprise no one if the young star becomes United’s next new signing under Ineos.
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