Manchester United submit £65m Baleba bid despite Rooney's call for a taller midfielder

Manchester United have submitted a £65m bid for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, reviving interest in the 22-year-old Cameroonian after being priced out of a move last summer when Brighton valued him at £100m.

The offer comes despite Wayne Rooney’s recent and pointed advice that United should be targeting a taller, more physically dominant profile in the centre of the park. Speaking with Mark Goldbridge, the United legend highlighted a clear gap in Ruben Amorim’s current midfield options.

“I think if you look at Tielemans, you look at Mainoo, you look at Santos, they’re all small lads,” Rooney said. “There’s not much pace among the three of them, so probably that Onana for Villa profile — maybe not him, but that profile of player is what Man United need in the middle.”

Asked specifically about Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer, Rooney was equally direct: “Yeah, I think that profile of player would suit United massively.”

The numbers back up his concern. Kobbie Mainoo, at 6ft, is the tallest of United’s current midfield options, with Andrey Santos standing around 5ft11’ and Youri Tielemans at just 5ft9’. Baleba, at 5ft10’, does little to address the physical imbalance Rooney identified.

United have already invested heavily in their engine room this summer, securing Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35m and Santos from Chelsea for £50m. The departure of Casemiro on a free transfer, however, has left a void in terms of defensive midfield presence and physicality.

Baleba’s case is not without complications. The Brighton academy graduate endured a difficult 2025/26 campaign under Fabian Hürzeler, failing to register a single Premier League goal or assist across 31 appearances. A minor ankle ligament injury had also been thought to have cooled United’s interest earlier in the window.

Whether Brighton will accept a figure significantly below their previous £100m valuation — given Baleba’s underwhelming season — remains to be seen. United’s £65m package represents a meaningful reduction on that asking price, and negotiations are ongoing.