Man Utd have secret weapon to lure Carlos Baleba to Old Trafford and no other club can use it

Manchester United could have a secret weapon in their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, it has emerged.

United have already splashed on three new signings this summer, drafting in Diego Leon, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo after finishing in 15th and losing the Europa League final to Spurs.

But they are not resting on their laurels and are in negotiations with RB Leipzig over a £74 million move for striker Benjamin Sesko - who has reportedly already agreed personal terms and wants the move.

That's not all though, with David Ornstein of The Athletic among those reporting that United made contact with Brighton through intermediaries over Baleba.

The Seagulls do not wish to sell the 21-year-old and according to Fabrizio Romano, a deal would be "difficult" and involve a high price tag.

However, United are in the market for a new midfielder and have set their sights on Baleba - who joined Brighton from Lille in a £26 million switch in 2023.

Man United's 'secret' weapon for Baleba

Baleba played 23 times for Lille and it was there where he played alongside current United defender Leny Yoro.

A similar age, the two struck up a friendship during their time playing together and United fans are hopeful that Yoro can help convince Baleba to join him at Old Trafford for a reunion.

Baleba also plays for Cameroon with Andre Onana and Mbeumo.

Reacting to the news, one fan on X wrote: "@leny_yoro get on the phone to Baleba. Get him to force the move!!!"

A second added: "We clearly think we’ve got a chance. Player supposedly keen which would make sense considering about half his former teammates play for us."

A third joked: "We’ve got agent Yoro, Mbeumo & Onana to pull Baleba."

Liverpool and Arsenal have also been heavily linked with Baleba, while Manchester City showed interest in the January transfer window.

However, L'Equipe say City were somewhat put off by the £104 million price mentioned.

Brighton's record sale was the £115 million they received from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo, while they also generated huge profit on the likes of Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella.

Despite not being in a healthy financial situation, United are believed to be able to afford further signings due to the structuring of their fees for Cunha and Mbeumo, the £5 million penalty fee paid by Chelsea for not signing Jadon Sancho, sell-on clauses from moves in involving Anthony Elanga, Alvaro Carreras and Maxi Oyedele and the fact that Marcus Rashford's £325,000-a-week wages are being covered by Barcelona while on loan.