{"id":19093,"date":"2026-07-20T08:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T08:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=19093"},"modified":"2026-07-20T08:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T08:26:31","slug":"man-united-interested-in-baleba-after-santos-tielemans-signings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=19093","title":{"rendered":"Man United interested in Baleba after Santos & Tielemans signings"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Manchester United\u2019s major midfield rebuild may not be finished yet, despite the arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
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The two new signings provide Michael Carrick with more technical quality and Premier League experience, but United are still exploring the market for a more athletic midfielder capable of protecting the defence and carrying the ball through pressure.<\/p>\n

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Carlos Baleba, Manu Kon\u00e9 and Adam Wharton have all been discussed, although the cost and availability of each player could determine which direction the club takes.<\/p>\n

Baleba and Kon\u00e9 feature on Man United list<\/h2>\n

Sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside<\/strong> <\/em>on Man United\u2019s interest in Baleba.<\/p>\n

The Brighton midfielder would be keen to move to Old Trafford. Loose personal terms were reportedly discussed last summer, but United had not submitted a fresh proposal to Brighton at the time of the report.<\/p>\n

United have already officially confirmed the signings of Santos and Tielemans, strengthening a midfield that required rebuilding following Casemiro\u2019s departure and Manuel Ugarte\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n

Baleba remains an attractive option because of his power, mobility and Premier League experience, but Brighton\u2019s valuation is a significant complication.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, talkSPORT reports that United have made an enquiry for Roma midfielder Manu Kon\u00e9, who could cost around \u20ac60 million.<\/p>\n

Another name on the list is Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton who would demand a huge fee.<\/p>\n

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Why Manu Kon\u00e9 may be the smartest option for United<\/h2>\n

Baleba offers the most exciting physical profile, but Kon\u00e9 may represent the more sensible deal.<\/p>\n

Santos can win possession and contribute at both ends, while Tielemans brings passing range, creativity and leadership.<\/p>\n

What United still lack is a midfielder who can cover ground quickly, resist pressure and move the team forward through direct carries.<\/p>\n

Baleba fits those requirements, but paying a premium after an inconsistent season would be risky.<\/p>\n

Kon\u00e9 offers similar energy, has experience in the Bundesliga, Serie A and international football, and could be available for a more manageable price.<\/p>\n

Wharton would improve United\u2019s passing from deep, but his likely fee makes him the least realistic option.<\/p>\n

Unless Brighton reduce their demands, Kon\u00e9 appears to provide the best balance between quality, affordability and tactical suitability.<\/p>\n

Manchester United waiting for green light to complete \u20ac60m Real Madrid deal <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Manchester United\u2019s major midfield rebuild may not be finished yet, despite the arrivals of Andrey…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}