Fabrizio Romano Names Which Player Is “Top” Of Man Utd’s List Of Transfer Targets

BACK David Tully Dec 17th 2025 Man Utd are still prioritising a move for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, Romano said that the Cameroon international remains the no.1 transfer target for the Red Devils: “If there is a player Man Utd put on top of their list, for sure it’s Baleba. Baleba is a player they absolutely love. “Last summer they tried to make it happen… but it was impossible to negotiate with Brighton.” Anderson and Wharton are still in the mix While Baleba appears to be the player that United would pursue in the ideal scenario, Romano did confirm that Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace’s are “100 per cent” on the club’s shortlist too. He claims that the pair are backup options if United fail in their attempts to sign Baleba: “I’m not saying the other two are not targets; they are targets as well. For a top club like Man United, you need to be prepared for all situations.” Will Man Utd make a bid for Baleba in January? Ruben Amorim’s side held talks with the midfielder’s entourage in the summer, and it is believed they did agree personal terms, but an official bid was never lodged due to Brighton’s asking price. The Seagulls were demanding in excess of £100m at the time. Since then, Baleba has suffered a major dip in form, and he spoke out last weekend about how speculation has been affecting his performances. United may be hoping that Baleba’s valuation has dropped as a consequence, but the prospect of a transfer taking place during the January transfer window is rather low. The 21-year-old is expected to stay at the Amex until the summer, at the very least. Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here David Tully David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.