Better than Tchouameni: £50m star has an "agreement" in place to join Man Utd

Manchester United look as if they'll be dining at the elite table of European football again next season.

If the Premier League season were to end today, Michael Carrick's men would clinch Champions League football for the first time since they dropped out of the illustrious competition in the group stages during the miserable 2023/24 campaign.

To prepare for that next level, after years in the wilderness, United will surely be busy in the upcoming transfer market, with the summer also a crucial time, as the Red Devils assess who their permanent manager will be for an exciting season ahead.

Man Utd have an agreement with a big-money midfielder

Alongside Carrick possibly walking away from Old Trafford, it's set in stone that Casemiro will depart the Red Devils in the summer, bringing a topsy-turvy four-season stay at the club to a halt.

The main rumours involving the Manchester giants, therefore, involve who they are going to bring in to replace the gaping void the Brazilian will leave behind, with Real Madrid superstar Aurelien Tchouaméni an alleged top target.

Indeed, the £70m battler - according to journalist Andy Mitten - is "the only player in Spain who United have been looking at", with other targets in the central areas coming in the form of Atalanta powerhouse Ederson, and Newcastle United stalwart Sandro Tonali.

A move for Carlos Baleba could also be on the cards, with the Red Devils holding significant long-term interest in the Brighton and Hove Albion enforcer.

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, via his YouTube channel, Baleba is still keen on a move to the Theatre of Dreams this summer, with Romano even revealing that a verbal agreement remains in place between the two parties, which was originally agreed in 2025.

"Baleba wanted to go to Man United", Romano began. "An agreement on personal terms remains valid. Man Utd now need to decide whether to go for Baleba or not."

There would be several hurdles for United to overcome to finally land their desired man, with a permanent manager appointment still needing to be worked out, alongside what Brighton's stance would be about selling their 22-year-old warrior, but Baleba could be an even better signing than United forking out the big bucks for Tchouaméni, if a switch does materialise, with a reduced £50m price-tag rumoured.

Why Baleba would be a better signing than Tchouaméni

This might feel like a bold statement when initially taking it in, with Tchouaméni once noted as being "one of the best defensive midfielder on the planet" by analyst Raj Chohan.

But, because of all the acclaim the Frenchman has received in recent times, with classy displays for Los Blancos becoming commonplace, he will be a difficult target to tempt to Old Trafford, with a whopping £70m price tag next to his name.

This is why Baleba might well prove to be a better use of money in the long run, as his valuation has dropped down to £50m, and if he can get back to his peak, which he experienced during the 2024/25 campaign, he is very much at the same level as his La Liga-winning counterpart.

Baleba hasn't quite set the Premier League alight this season, but he does have a wealth of top-flight experience in England on his side at just 22 years of age, which Tchouaméni does not, with his mightily impressive 24/25 numbers also sticking out, next to Madrid number 14's output for the 25/26 campaign.

Bettering Tchouaméni in several different areas of their varied midfield games, it's clear that if the number 17 can push his disrupted current campaign to one side, he could well be a perfect, cost-effective successor to Casemiro, with Baleba previously noted as being "world-class" by journalist Ryan Adsett.

Once worth £100m, United must push on and see if they can snap up the Cameroonian for such a discounted price, as he also has a fierce strike up his sleeve from a holding midfield position.

If they were successful in purchasing Baleba for such a slashed amount, Tchouaméni's name would become a thing of the past.

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