Baleba vs Casemiro: The Old Trafford battle that raised a €100m question

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 26 Oct 2025 07:25 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Carlos Baleba graced Old Trafford on Saturday, but not in the manner that Manchester United might have wished the midfielder to.

During the summer transfer window, United made a tentative enquiry to sign the Brighton star, but after being told that he was not for sale at any cost quickly backed off.

The prospect of a big-money move has not disappeared, with the Seagulls reportedly slapping an asking price worth more than €100 million on their man.

Compared

Carlos Baleba

DM, M (C)

Brighton

Carlos Baleba

DM, M (C)

Brighton

VS

Casemiro

DM, M (C)

Man Utd

Casemiro

DM, M (C)

Man Utd

€56.1M	ETV	€7M
€50.5M - €61.7M	ETV Range	€6M - €8.1M
21 years old (03 Jan, 2004)	Age	33 years old (23 Feb, 1992)
Cameroon	Nationality	Brazil

Baleba only fuelled this speculation before Saturday’s fixture, posting an image of himself on Instagram with the caption: ‘Coming to Old Trafford’. It was subsequently reposted without the description.

With the future of Casemiro in doubt despite winning over Ruben Amorim in recent weeks, how did Baleba fare on what was an audition for a big-money move to United?

The tale of the tape

First up, it’s important to recognised that this was not Brighton’s best display. Beaten 4-2, they were chasing the game for over an hour and could have few complaints about the final scoreline. But it’s also to acknowledge that their failure to dominate the midfield was part of the reason for this.

In the head-to-head battle between the defensive midfielders, it was clearly Man Utd’s Casemiro who came out of top. The Brazilian produced an assist and a goal, but he also outperformed Baleba in terms of his ball winning.

The Cameroon star managed just three defensive actions over the course of the match and was present in just two duels, winning only one of these.

Let’s put that into the wider context of the game. Bruno Fernandes managed eight defensive actions for Man Utd while Casemiro was one back on seven. Even Kobbie Mainoo, who managed only 20 minutes, managed to match Baleba in this regard.

Perhaps the most concerning stat was that he was involved in just two duels – the lowest among starting players.

For a player who is wanted by Man Utd primarily for his ability to cover ground and shield the defence, this was an unconvincing outing.

Baleba was more secure in terms of his passing, completing 34/42. While he trailed Bruno Fernandes, he outperformed Casemiro, who is the Man Utd player he should consider his rival. But it was not all positive as the Brazilian had one key pass.

Baleba falls short of expectations

Baleba’s performance was not one that would have Man Utd clamouring to spend Brighton’s €100 million plus asking price next summer, but it was just one game.

Anyone can has an off day, but the former Lille player did not show the attributes that Amorim might have expected in this game. The energy and physical impact expected of him was not present.

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