Man Utd May Circle Back for Baleba – But Only If Brighton Budge on Price

Manchester United's summer transfer plans have taken another twist, with the club potentially reopening the door on Carlos Baleba – but only under specific circumstances, according to insider Pete O'Rourke.

The Red Devils appeared to have their midfield shopping sorted just days ago. They'd secured agreements for both Atalanta's Ederson and Chelsea's Andrey Santos. But then, out of nowhere, they pulled the plug on the Ederson deal. The Santos move remains on track, but suddenly United find themselves back on the recruitment merry-go-round.

"I still think there's midfielders on the radar for Man United," O'Rourke told Football Insider. "They'll be obviously delighted to get a deal for Andrey Santos over the line. They might revisit a potential deal for Carlos Baleba at Brighton who they were interested in signing last summer and is still very much on their radar."

The Brighton midfielder has been circling United's consciousness for a while now, but there's a catch. "If they get an indication that Brighton could maybe drop their asking price for Baleba, then they might step up their interest in him," O'Rourke added.

The Numbers Don't Stack Up – Yet

Brighton's valuation remains a sticking point. Recent reports suggested they've already dropped Baleba's price tag to around £70million, but that's still well above United's comfort zone. The club is targeting signings in the £50million bracket – which is precisely why they moved for Santos in the first place.

The midfield cupboard is bare at Old Trafford. Casemiro is departing, and now Manuel Ugarte faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines through injury. That's left United short-handed in the engine room and eager to bolster their options.

Bournemouth's Tyler Adams represents another budget-friendly alternative, also priced around the £50million mark. United have already made contact with the Cherries to discuss the American international's availability, though it remains unclear how aggressively they'll pursue that avenue.

With Baleba's current asking price still deemed excessive, expect United to keep shopping around. A second midfielder addition remains on the agenda this summer – but the identity of their primary target remains very much up in the air.