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Manchester United’s list of midfield targets for this summer is a who’s who of the most exciting in Europe, and on the shortlist remains Carlos Baleba.
The emergence of Aurelien Tchouameni as a midfield option for Manchester United feels like it has kicked off the summer transfer window early.
Discussion around who United should sign in midfield is heating up.
Elliot Anderson looks like the most expensive move possible, while Alex Scott increasingly is being mentioned as a target for Ineos.
Meanwhile, Carlos Baleba remains on his own list entirely, with his form for Brighton not putting Ineos off.
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Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images 
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesFabrizio Romano shares Carlos Baleba to Manchester United update
Baleba was last summer’s top target for United, only for Brighton to refuse an offer in the region of £75m as Ineos decided to wait a year.
Now, United value Baleba at £50m despite Brighton’s insistence this won’t be enough.
Fabrizio Romano has now shared an update on Baleba while speaking on his YouTube channel.
He explains that Baleba remains a top target for United going into this summer, and that on the player side it should be quite an easy deal to do.
United had verbally agreed personal terms with Baleba last summer, with the player very keen to join and this agreement remains valid ahead of this summer.
Baleba is a top target for the club’s scouts and data teams, while his desire to join will surely be enhanced by United being infinitely more attractive this summer compared to last.
Interestingly, as the transfer window nears, Baleba has found some form, playing really well for Brighton against Chelsea.
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How much Carlos Baleba currently earns at Brighton
One factor behind Baleba potentially being considered a supplementary midfield signing is outside of the transfer fee which shouldn’t surpass £70m, he would be an affordable option.
At Brighton, Baleba earns £12.5k-a-week which would put him as the lowest earner at United.
This means if he was moving to Old Trafford, even quadrupling his wage would put him in the lower end of earners at United, making it an attractive deal for Ineos to do and lock him down to a long contract.
Signing Baleba as a midfielder to rotate with a Tchouameni is excellent squad planning and depth, with the expectation and pressure absorbed by the bigger named signing.
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