Manchester United Pursue Carlos Baleba Amid Summer Rebuild
Manchester United are pushing hard to land Carlos Baleba, with a £60m bid on the table and growing confidence that the Brighton midfielder will be the club’s third central signing of the summer.
United have followed the Cameroon international closely for more than a year. He first emerged as a serious target last summer, when Brighton slapped a price tag in excess of £100m on the then 21-year-old and shut down any talk of a deal. A difficult season has changed the landscape. The fee has dropped, United have returned, and this time there is a sense that the numbers finally align.
The offer stands at £60m but could rise by another £5m as talks progress. United see Baleba as part of a broader rebuild in the middle of the pitch, a player with the legs and aggression to refresh an area that has too often looked tired and predictable.
If it goes through, Old Trafford will have secured a high-upside talent at a fraction of last summer’s asking price.
Liverpool open door to Curtis Jones exit
Up the M62, Liverpool are deep in negotiations that could end Curtis Jones’s long association with the club.
Inter Milan have stepped up their pursuit of the midfielder and are in talks over a permanent move to San Siro. No agreement has been reached yet, but discussions are active and ongoing as the Italian champions renew attempts to prise him away from Anfield.
Liverpool are thought to be willing to do business at around €35m (£30m). At that price, a homegrown player who has come through the academy and featured in major games could be allowed to leave, giving the club room to reshape Jürgen Klopp’s old midfield structure under the new regime.
The Reds remain keen on Bradley Barcola as they look to add attacking thrust in wide areas. Their interest in the Lyon product persists after they chose to walk away from a move for his PSG team‑mate Ibrahim Mbaye. One door looks set to close for Jones; another may yet open for Barcola.
Arsenal move for Konsa after Saliba blow
In north London, Arsenal have acted decisively to reinforce a defence suddenly stripped of its usual authority.
The club have agreed a deal worth around £51m with Aston Villa for Ezri Konsa, handing Mikel Arteta the right-sided defender he wanted after the serious injury to William Saliba. With Jurrien Timber only just returning to full fitness, the need for cover on that side of the back line had become pressing for a team determined to defend their Premier League crown.
Konsa, 28, brings experience and versatility. At Arsenal he is expected to compete with Cristhian Mosquera for the role of deputy to Saliba alongside Gabriel Magalhaes. That battle will shape the depth of a back four that carried Arsenal through last season’s title charge.
The move comes with an extra twist: Konsa could make his debut against his former club when Arsenal face Aston Villa next week. For Arteta, it is the kind of hard-edged signing that signals there will be no easing off in their pursuit of another title.
Tottenham eye Marmoush and Savinho in attacking revamp
Across the capital, Tottenham are plotting a double move to sharpen their attack.
Spurs retain long-standing interest in Savinho, the Brazilian winger whose name has sat high on their recruitment lists since last summer, when they weighed up a £50m bid. His pace and direct running fit the aggressive, front-foot style Ange Postecoglou demands from his wide players.
The club are also tracking Omar Marmoush, with Tottenham considering the Egypt forward as another option to energise Roberto De Zerbi’s forward line. De Zerbi, now tasked with driving Spurs on after a season in which they only just dodged relegation, is pushing for an expensive overhaul of a squad that flirted dangerously with the drop.
Two attackers, one clear message: Tottenham do not intend to hover near the bottom again. The question now is how quickly these moves land, and how different this side will look when the window finally slams shut.
