The reason behind Carlos Baleba’s absence from Brighton’s final pre-season game has been revealed as speculation over a possible move to Manchester United heats up
Manchester United are closing in on a fifth summer signing as Rúben Amorim’s Old Trafford rebuild gathers momentum.
The club have already invested around £200 million on much needed reinforcements in the 2025 window so far, with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Diego León arriving for a combined £130 million ahead of the pre-season tour in the United States.
After arriving back in England having just won the Premier League Summer Series in America, United struck a deal worth £65 million plus £7.5 million in add-ons with RB Leipzig for 22-year-old Slovenian striker Benjamin Šeško.
After being unveiled in front of the Old Trafford faithful before United’s 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, the club’s forward line transformation has now been completed, and the focus is expected to shift towards bolstering the midfield, while a goalkeeper signing remains possible if the opportunity presents itself.
Carlos Baleba absent from Brighton pre-season squad
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, United are keeping in contact with Baleba’s agents, and with Brighton not wanting to sell, a large fee would be required to prise the midfielder away from the south coast. Despite this, United remain calm about the situation and consider him the perfect player for their midfield.
As reported by SussexWorld, the Cameroonian was a notable absentee from Brighton’s final pre-season game against Wolfsburg.
With that absence, the 21-year-old has now missed the last four warm-up matches, with manager Fabian Hurzeler previously saying it was due to a “minor issue”, but his latest exclusion from the squad is bound to fuel speculation about his future.
Brighton are historically a club that buy exciting talent, and then nurture and sell them on for large profit, as seen by the sales of the likes of Marc Cucurella, Alexis Mac Allister, and Moises Caicedo. Their chief executive has stated recently that “part of our model is being prepared to sell at the right time”, hinting that they may lose the 21-year-old midfielder.
United must sign a new midfielder
If there’s one clear takeaway from Manchester United’s pre-season, it’s the urgent need for midfield reinforcements, something that Amorim acknowledged during the Premier League Summer Series.
Manuel Ugarte endured a torrid outing against Everton in the final game of the Summer Series, cheaply losing the ball in the buildup to their opening goal. While deployed as United’s defensive midfielder, the Uruguayan thrived at Sporting when given the license to roam, something he has yet to enjoy at Old Trafford.
Casemiro, meanwhile, has looked short of sharpness this summer. Though he shone during the Europa League knockout stages last season, his league form was far less convincing, and regular league minutes next term appear doubtful.
The need for a new midfield presence is plain to see, and with necessary work being completed to address the club’s lack of attacking threat, all focus can be put towards signing a new player to slot into the centre of the side, but the club’s ability to sell the necessary players to fund further business remains to be seen.
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