Why Man Utd could finally land the Carlos Baleba deal they wanted

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Manchester United have been offered the opportunity to sign long-time midfield transfer target Carlos Baleba for a knockdown fee from Brighton – and it’s a deal Michael Carrick’s club should seriously consider.

The Red Devils have already added two strong midfield signings to their ranks in the form of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, who arrived for a combined €97 million from Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively, but Michael Carrick’s side want a third addition in the heart of the field to provide additional depth to the squad.

At the beginning of the summer, United had hoped to sign a marquee player for the role, but have been priced out of moves for the likes of Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.

Current ETV

Carlos Baleba

DM, M (C)

Brighton

Carlos Baleba

DM, M (C)

Brighton

€53.5M

ETV Range

€48.1M - €58.8M

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Brighton slash Baleba price

With the Old Trafford side clearly keen to ensure they get value for money, their patient approach may pay dividends as Brighton have wavered on the price of Baleba – a player they wanted more than £100 million (€117m) to sell when United were interested a year ago.

Now the 22-year-old Cameroon international could be available for as little as £60m (€70m), according to a report from the Daily Mail.

However, they have been warned that there is also interest from Newcastle, who are seeking a replacement for Bruno Guimaraes.

Man Utd’s missing piece

United may see Baleba as a market opportunity as he is coming off a tricky campaign in which he failed to live up to the £100m tag his side had given him.

At his best, though, he offers Man Utd vital qualities they need in the heart of the field, most notably a capacity to cover ground at speed – a quality notably lacking in Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Kobbie Mainoo.

He has a powerful all-round game and is particularly adept at the defensive side of the midfield art form, which is again something that United feel they are lacking going into the season.

As for his current price, it stands above the player’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €53.5m but is equally below his peak valuation of €70.2m, which was achieved earlier this year.

Carrick is the man to get the best from Baleba

While this rapid drop reflects a dip in the player’s form, Carrick will be optimistic that he can lead the youngster back to his best level.

The Man Utd boss revealed last week that his history as a midfielder himself shapes his view of the game, but it also hinted that he can mould Baleba into a player stronger than ever.

“Being a midfielder and how I’ve seen the game, in some ways it helps because you’re kind of connected to all parts of the team over time. I’m not saying you have to be a midfielder to be a good coach, but I think it’s how my reference points are in some ways, and what I feel has worked over the years, what kind of football I think the supporters want to see as well, and hopefully that fits together,” Carrick said.

“Naturally, midfield is a big part of the teams that I’ve coached.”

And he also delivered a not-so-subtle hint that he still wants signings.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good balance in all when you lay the squad out, but yeah, of course, we would like more,” he said. “We would like more, we need to keep pushing for more.”

Baleba may still be above the price point that United ideally want to pay, but after a couple of strong additions already, he would appear a measured gamble who has a high likelihood of coming good.