Manchester United must fork out a club record £115m to land South American star

Originally posted on We All Follow United
By Rohit Sarkar | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 5:35 AM ET

Manchester United have to pay a club record fee to sign Carlos Baleba this summer

Last season was nothing short of a nightmare for Manchester United and the club’s fans like us. Finishing 15th in the Premier League, losing to Spurs in the Europa League final and then missing out on any European competition next season felt like a big blow. Ruben Amorim took the bench mid-season, but things didn’t improve much even with him at the helm. To counter this, the club added names like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and young Diogo Leon to the squad in the ongoing summer transfer window to signal a fresh start.

The club clinched the pre-season title with a 2-2 draw against Everton in the Premier League Summer Series in Atlanta. Despite goals from Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, an own goal by Ayden Heaven was a terrible moment in the game. Meanwhile, on the brighter side of things, the club have reportedly added Benjamin Sesko as their new striker because Rasmus Hojlund had a disastrous season in 2024/25. However, there is another big news as United have been linked to Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.

The case of Carlos Baleba

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, United asked Brighton for Baleba’s price but did not receive an answer. The report says the Seagulls consider him a player worth up to £115m by next year, just as they sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. The amount is shocking, but no one doubts his ability in midfield.

The Cameroon player’s ability to read the game, his impeccable ball control and aggressive passing make him stand out in the midfield. His physical strength and Premier League experience could add depth to Amorim’s midfield. The question is whether it would be wise to spend such a large sum now for the 21-year-old defensive midfielder this summer.

We think £115m is a huge bet at the moment. Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system already offers options such as Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte in that position and role. The club still have to sell players to balance the books after so many big, high-profile signings, and they might still need a good goalkeeper after Andre Onana’s horror show last season.

Make no mistake that Baleba is a pretty good player, but in the current situation, it would be better to postpone this deal for the future and see how the situation turns out in the future. United need strength at the moment, not expensive moves, and we are pretty sure that Brighton might be ready to sell him for a much lesser price in the future transfer windows. For now, our club need to stop chasing him for that inflated price as it is definitely not worth it.

This article first appeared on We All Follow United and was syndicated with permission.

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