Man Utd's obsession with Carlos Baleba revealed as Red Devils 'have not stopped discussing' Brighton midifelder after failed summer bid

Despite United's interest in the 21-year-old at the start of the season, Brighton held firm and kept hold of the defensive midfielder. In the subsequent weeks, head coach Fabian Hurzeler called for the speculation about the youngster's future to end but admitted it may have distracted the player.

"For sure, when a young boy reads there is interest from Manchester United with a big, big offer, it might affect him deep, deep (down)," he said in September. "That’s also part of the development to understand that when you play well, there comes a big offer, there comes a big club who wants to have him. But then to keep pushing, to be humble, stay here in Brighton, and try to make the next step with the team and that’s something we have to keep on working with him and therefore I can’t give you a clear answer if it’s really affected him or not.

"But for sure, he’s a young boy and we need to understand he’s not a machine that if you click on then he always runs and off then he stops. We need to understand his feelings, his emotions, where he comes from, and that’s our responsibility."

Baleba has struggled to hit the heights he reached last season with Brighton but the Cameroon international insisted he was fully focused on performing for the Sussex outfit.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Baleba said in December: "I don’t think it affected me negatively, but I had a lot of pressure on me. When I started this season, I wanted to show the same performances as last season. Every day I try to work hard and get back to my level. Did I put too much pressure on myself? Yes, I think so, but I think it’s good. It’s good for me, because now I have to get through this slightly stressful period, get back on the horse, and continue working hard."

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Even though Baleba will cost a huge amount of money if signed in 2026, United are not giving up on the midfielder. According to Fabrizio Romano, they are also keeping tabs on Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton and Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson as they seek to strengthen in the centre of the park.

"In terms of midfielders, one of the names I want to maintain since August on Man Utd’s shortlist is Carlos Baleba, because Man Utd – I can guarantee – have not stopped discussing the name of Carlos Baleba internally. Baleba is still seen as an ideal solution by Ruben Amorim and the people at the club," Romano said on his YouTube channel. "Together with Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace and Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest, Baleba is seen as one of the ideal midfielders for Amorim. So Baleba is super appreciated by Man Utd. A January move is still seen as unlikely, but any moment – January or summer – if Brighton decide to open the door to an exit, Man Utd remain absolutely interested in the player. They remain in contact with people close to the player.

"There were rumours in December about Bayern Munich being interested in Carlos Baleba. From what I am told, Bayern, at this stage, are not working on a deal for Baleba. They feel that the player wants to stay in England. They feel that last summer he wanted to go to Man Utd, and Bayern are aware of that. They have not started a proper negotiation for Baleba as of today. If something changes in the summer, I will let you know. But as of today, January 2026, Bayern are not seriously working on a deal to sign Carlos Baleba."

While Baleba is representing Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations, United round off their year at home to Premier League basement side Wolves on Tuesday, whereas Brighton travel to struggling West Ham on the same date.