Liverpool potential hijack on ‘dream’ Man Utd transfer to create nightmare for ‘shellshocked’ INEOS
Manchester United face a nightmare scenario if/when Liverpool hijack their arch-rivals in the race for a ‘dream’ transfer in 2026…
In this summer’s transfer window, the Red Devils proved that, despite their prolonged on-field woes, they retain immense pulling power purely on name value.
Man Utd were a thorn in the side of Newcastle United as they beat Eddie Howe’s side to Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, while Senne Lammens opted for Old Trafford over Galatasaray.
Still, limited finances prevented Man Utd from getting everyone they wanted, as they did not have the necessary funds to sign top midfield target Carlos Baleba from Brighton.
United were reportedly quoted around £100m for Baleba, who could have made a transformational impact and turned Ruben Amorim’s side into a credible European contender.
It was even reported that Baleba was keen on the move, thus proving that their pull remains, but this deal was too good to be true as Man Utd could not finance a deal after investing around £200m on overhauling their attack.
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Man Utd’s ‘dream’ move for Baleba was certainly ambitious, but it has a far greater chance of happening next year, once he and a No.6 is their overwhelming transfer priority, and it has already been reported that they ‘will return’ for him in 2026.
However, Man Utd’s failure to land Baleba at the earliest opportunity opens them up to future heartache, and with Liverpool lurking in the background, this saga is likely to end in tears for INEOS.
Liverpool have just put together an all-timer transfer window, investing £414.5m as this summer’s biggest spending club to sign Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.
This further cemented the Reds as a leading global superpower and it gives head coach Arne Slot a near-perfect squad, which has only a couple of weak spots.
One such area is at centre-back, which will be fixed once they land long-term target Marc Guehi on a free transfer next summer, while the absence of quality competition for Ryan Gravenberch in the No.6 role is another issue.
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This is why their reported interest in Baleba makes a lot of sense, with a report from journalist Dean Jones for our pals at TEAMtalk claiming Man Utd are ‘shellshocked’ at the very real possibility of missing out on the Brighton standout to Liverpool.
Jones explained to TEAMtalk: “Manchester United were the first club to make a move for Baleba in the summer and they still see him as a key target for their long-term rebuild under Amorim. There was intent behind that approach, wanting to show the player and club how serious they are.
“But the concern is that Liverpool’s admiration could turn into something more concrete.
“They’ve already shown this year they’re not afraid to splash out big money on the right player, and if they decided to push for Baleba, United would suddenly find themselves in an unwanted situation. No one wants to go head-to-head with Liverpool – on or off the pitch.”
As Jones says, “no one wants to go head-to-head with Liverpool” on the pitch or at the negotiating table.
Given the state of each club, it would be a no-brainer for Baleba to choose the current Premier League holders over Man Utd, who face the nightmare of seeing a perfect signing head to their biggest rivals and to be left chasing their tails for a far less suitable alternative.
