Man Utd hold talks to sign “world’s best DM”

If you count the midfielder he may have been linked with Manchester United in the past few months.

With Casemiro confirming his departure from Old Trafford at the end of the campaign and Manuel Ugarte set to follow him on the bench, two midfielders are needed to bolster United’s squad.

At the top of their list is Elliot Anderson. That said, he is also Manchester City’s number one target. As a result, they are in a good position to pry him away from Nottingham Forest this summer in a deal worth around £100m.

Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali is also on their shortlist, as is Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace. However, the prevailing feeling is that he resembles Kobbie Mainoo. As a result, he has fallen to the bottom of INEOS’ priorities.

Carlos Baleba is another name and a lot of groundwork has been done with that one.

Man United held negotiations to sign Baleba

The Brighton midfielder may not be at the top of their transfer plans at the moment but as far as the player is concerned, he wants to move to United this summer.

He almost got his wish last year when the Red Devils became interested. They have spoken to the player’s camp and have agreed on personal terms. It is thought that Baleba wants to go to Man United more than any other club.

That said, it’s a deal worth around £75m-£80m. Meanwhile, you could pay another £20m for a player of Anderson’s caliber.

If you fail, move to Aurelien Tchouameni if ​​he is there. A few weeks ago it was reported that the Real Madrid star had entered the club’s thoughts on recruiting Carrington but that a deal could be done seems unlikely.

He is not looking forward to leaving the Spanish capital but that could change. Reports from Spain suggest the Frenchman and Fede Valverde were at the center of an incredibly heated argument inside the Madrid dressing room earlier this week.

Whether or not that is enough to convince Tchouameni to head for the exit door remains to be seen.

In any case, like Baleba, United have already started talking to the Real midfielder center to find out if a move is possible. That’s according to TEAMtalk.

Why Tchouameni would be better than Carlos Baleba

Baleba is not United’s first choice this summer, that’s for sure. There are a few other players the recruiting club would like to bring in and one of those certainly includes Tchouameni.

Last year, Brighton’s Cameroon international would have been a much-deserved addition. His average of 6.71 duels won per 90 back in 2024/25 is actually ahead of Casemiro’s total of 6.61 per 90 this season.

That said, his numbers have declined over the last year or so. It’s clear that he can see why he hit the ground running when United were looking for a new midfielder.

That’s why many other options, including Tchouameni, would be better signings this summer.

In short, the French star is “the best defensive midfielder in the world” in the eyes of his teammate Chema Andres, and it is clear why this opinion is shared.

It’s incredibly hard to disagree with that statement. The 26-year-old has been one of the first names in the team this season under Xabi Alonso and then Alvaro Arbeloa. Madrid’s dream of winning another Champions League was dashed, but Tchouameni played in every match in the run to the quarter-finals, except for the second leg of the quarter-finals when he was suspended. He has played the full 90 minutes in 11 of his 13 European outings.

He has been like that in LaLiga. The Frenchman has missed just four games, either through injury or suspension. Why is it so important? Well, he’s a beast defensively.

This is someone who ranks in the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues in attacking and tackling, making them 4.40 per 90 minutes. He is one of the best titles on the continent, ranking in the top 5% in air duels won with 2.51 out of 90.

Chouameni is incredibly strong but not just a one-trick pony; he knows how to move the ball forward. He is in the top 19% in passing completions at 4.02 per 90.

If we compare those numbers with Baleba, night and day. He wins just 1.28 aerial duels, makes 3.06 tackles and interceptions and produces only 1.59 continuous passes, all in 90 minutes.

It’s safe to say that if United are going to prioritize any defensive midfielder in the coming months, Baleba should be dropped from the list.