Manchester United stunned the transfer market recently when they got in touch with Brighton to sign Carlos Baleba after signing Benjamin Sesko.
Benjamin Sesko comes at an initial fee of £66m, which, in addition to Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, already takes Man Utd’s total financial commitment past £200m.
Clearly, any deal for Carlos Baleba will need substantial sales, since £300m is not something United have spent in the window even when they had Champions League football.
The best way for United to play this is to turn to their Baleba alternative, who is perfect for Ruben Amorim’s team, and sets them up for a blockbuster 2026 summer.
Man Utd’s Carlos Baleba alternative
Ruben Amorim has been yearning for an athletic midfielder with ball-progressing abilities since the first game of the pre-season.
There isn’t a better option than Baleba on the market for that profile, but that is also why Brighton will ask for a king’s ransom for him, especially late in the window.
Therefore, United enquiring for him after spending more than £200m already looks more like a case of registering their interest and laying the groundwork, rather than any serious attempt at a move this summer.
While that is smart from Ineos’ perspective, it still doesn’t satisfy Amorim’s demand, which is for a midfielder to arrive this summer.
However, with United setting aside close to £100m for Baleba next summer, they need to be careful about spending too much on a player this season, only for him to become backup to Baleba next season.
Enter Douglas Luiz, the Juventus outcast who is set to leave this summer, and has a history of interest at Man Utd.
Luiz is missing training at Juventus as he tries to make a move, and with his history of playing in the Premier League and excelling, he could serve as an excellent stop-gap option before transitioning to a backup role next season.
The Brazilian can start over Casemiro, and challenge Manuel Ugarte this season, before Casemiro’s wages come off the books and Luiz takes over Casemiro’s role as a backup next season.
United might have to take a step back this summer in their search for a midfielder to allow them to launch forward next summer for Baleba.
They could do a lot worse in terms of a step back than sign a player who will be motivated to prove people wrong who have written him off at Juventus, and do so in a league he has already shone in.
Amorim has raved about Cunha’s “loud” dressing room personality, and adding some more Brazilian flavour to the dressing room in a player who isn’t afraid to call people out might be a shrewd move.
Douglas Luiz is perfect from a squad planning POV
A big reason why eyebrows have been raised at the fee spent for Benjamin Sesko is that he falls in the same age profile as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
In theory, that acts as a deterrent for young strikers at the club, who see their path to the first-team muddied further with his signing than, say, an Ollie Watkins-type signing.
It is why a signing like Luiz is perfect from a squad planning perspective. Luiz turned 27 this summer, so he is in the same boat as Mbeumo and Cunha, where he can come in and make an impact immediately.
When he turns 28 next summer, Amorim can start to use his energy off the bench, with Baleba taking over the starter role.
Buying a young and exciting midfielder this summer, only for Baleba to arrive next summer, would just close the door on prospects like Tyler Fletcher or Sekou Kone.
More importantly, if Amorim gets his aim of European football next season, then Baleba can’t just be the answer to United’s midfield, since quantity will be as important as quality.
Not only in midfield, but saving money this summer now, and some hefty contracts coming off the books next season could also potentially allow United to make a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma next summer.
He could be a free agent next summer, and United could enter that race with a much freer wage bill, their gaping holes filled, and big money in the bank by being wise this summer.
Getting Luiz this season as an opportunity in the market, then supplement it with stardust next season in the form of Baleba and, potentially, Donnarumma, ahead of a potential European campaign is the perfect squad planning move.
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