Manchester United's Midfield Rebuild: Baleba and Kone Targeted

Manchester United’s summer rebuild in midfield is not finished. Not even close.

Youri Tielemans is in. Andrey Santos is in. Yet inside the club there is a clear admission: the engine room still lacks a player who can run, duel and dominate the middle of the pitch. The search has narrowed, and two names now sit at the top of the list – Carlos Baleba and Manu Kone.

This is not a scattergun trawl through Europe. It is a targeted hunt for a specific profile. Legs. Aggression. Territory.

Baleba Back in the Frame

Carlos Baleba is a familiar story at Old Trafford. United pushed hard for him last summer and went as far as agreeing personal terms with the Brighton midfielder. That detail matters. It means one of the usual hurdles – convincing the player – is already cleared if they decide to go back in.

What stopped it then was Brighton’s price. A £100 million valuation slammed the brakes on the move and raised eyebrows across the league. It looked excessive at the time and still does now, unless the market has completely detached from reality.

According to Sky Sports reporter Danyal Khan, United have “made movement” in revisiting Baleba. No formal offer has gone in yet, but that kind of language usually points to serious interest. The numbers are being tested, the ground prepared.

At 22, Baleba offers exactly what United lack: power in the duels, drive through the lines, the ability to carry the ball and drag his team up the pitch. These are not luxuries for a side that has so often been overrun in big games. They are non-negotiables.

Brighton know it. United know it. The price will reflect it.

Kone: The Cheaper, Complicated Route

If Baleba is the premium option, Manu Kone looks like the deal that might actually get done.

United have “tentatively explored” a move for the Roma midfielder, with expectations that he would cost significantly less than Baleba. Reports in Italy suggest there is already an agreement in principle with the player, while United are thought to be willing to go to around €50 million, roughly £42m.

On paper, that sounds far more manageable. In reality, the old problems reappear. Roma want more. Other clubs are circling. The longer the saga drags on, the higher the fee tends to creep.

United have lived this movie too many times: enter a bidding contest late, watch the valuation inflate, then either walk away or overpay. This time, they either move decisively or accept another summer of slow, grinding negotiations.

A Window That Reveals the Plan – and the Doubts

Strip away the noise and the pattern is clear. United are not just hoarding midfielders; they are trying to correct a structural flaw. They want someone who can win ground, not just keep the ball. Someone who can tilt the pitch in their favour.

Baleba is the statement choice, the powerful Premier League-proven option who fits the physical and tactical brief. Kone is the more attainable target, at least in theory, and a cleaner fit financially. Both align with the same idea: add steel, add legs, add presence.

Yet the context matters. United have already brought in Tielemans and Santos and still do not look settled in that area. That can be framed as ambition, a determination to get it absolutely right. It can just as easily be read as a sign that the planning was incomplete from the start.

Supporters have seen this before. A clear need is identified, the right profile is discussed, the names leak out. Then come the familiar beats: interest, movement, exploratory talks, background briefings. The decisive moment, the one that actually lands the player at a sensible price, too often arrives late or not at all.

Baleba makes footballing sense. Young, powerful, already tested in the Premier League. But any fee creeping towards the £100 million mark would carry all the hallmarks of the decisions that have haunted United’s recent past.

Kone looks more logical in pure financial terms, yet that logic evaporates quickly if Roma succeed in driving the price far beyond £42m under pressure from a crowded market. The danger is obvious: recognise a genuine weakness, then solve it badly because the process drags and the club ends up paying a premium out of desperation.

For now, the story sits in a familiar place – between encouragement and unease. Encouragement that the recruitment team finally seem aligned on what the midfield needs. Unease that, until one of these deals is actually done on smart terms, this could drift into another long summer of talking tough and acting late.

United know exactly what they are missing in the middle of the pitch. The real test is no longer identification. It is execution.