Manchester United have been linked with a move to sign Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba from Brighton and Hove Albion in recent weeks. The Red Devils have already signed Mattheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko and have identified Baleba as a midfield upgrade, as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
Baleba moved to Brighton in 2023 after impressing at French side Lille, and is developing into one of the best players in the world in his position. The 20-year-old is open to a dream move to Old Trafford, although the terms of the transfer could prove difficult this summer.
Here are three reasons the Cameroon international will perfectly fit into Manchester United’s midfield.
“Baleba to Manchester United would be a masterstroke,” – Djemba Djemba
Physicality and press resistance ability
Carlos Baleba’s physicality and pace will see him flourish as a second midfielder in the 3-4-3 formation preferred by Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim. The Cameroon midfielder ranked in the top 25 percent among midfielders for successful tackles in the Premier League last season, while he also ranked seventh among U23 players for retaining the ball under pressure (86.3%) in Europe’s top five leagues.
At the age of 21, Baleba can match the league’s intensity and is an upgrade on both Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, who were used in the role by Ruben Amorim last season.
Baleba’s availability
The Cameroon midfielder played 34 matches in the league and missed just a single match with injury in the 2024-25 season, more than any Manchester United midfielder.
Andre Onana, Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot, were the only Red Devils players with more minutes than the 21-year-old midfielder, showing his availability and readiness to play.
Versatility
Carlos Baleba plays primarily as a defensive midfielder, but can also feature as a central midfielder and also in the left center-back position. He played 65% and 27% of his minutes in the defensive midfield and central midfield roles in the 2024-25 season, while he deputized in 8% at left center-back.
Manchester United’s options at left center-back Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, suffered injury struggles last season and the team will benefit greatly from Carlos Baleba’s ability to fill in the position.
With the summer transfer window set to close on the 1st of September, Carlos Baleba’s potential switch to Manchester United is one to watch out for.
