Liverpool could now be bad news for Manchester United in Carlos Baleba pursuit – here’s why

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TBR Football understands that Liverpool could move to sign Manchester United transfer target Carlos Baleba in 2026.

As previously revealed, Man United showed strong interest in Baleba this summer but were ultimately put off when Brighton demanded in excess of £100 million to sanction a sale.

Liverpool are long-term admirers of Baleba alongside Manchester City, and considered testing the waters for the midfielder at the end of the season.

The 21-year-old has been a mainstay at the Amex, he arrived in the Premier League in a £23m deal from Lille as the Seagulls’ replacement for record departure Moises Caicedo.

Sources: Liverpool could enter the race for Carlos Baleba

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has exclusively revealed that he can envision Liverpool pursuing a defensive midfielder next summer amid growing concerns that the side has become too attacking-minded.

Bailey states: “I think (Florian) Wirtz has worked his socks off. Even though he hasn’t looked like the next Eden Hazard out of the traps, I still see him as a strong contender—potentially the next Ballon d’Or winner. Liverpool are adapting to this new role, and I wonder whether, in some of the bigger games, we’ll see them switch to a back three again.

“I do find it fascinating how Liverpool are evolving, and this could be bad news for United in the number six market.

“I’m not sure (Alexis) Mac Allister and (Dominik) Szoboszlai suit this new system. If they stick to a front four – which it now is, rather than last season’s proper 4-3-3 – they don’t really play a traditional number 10.

“People are still getting used to this new system for Liverpool. But I do wonder if we’ll see Liverpool move again in the CDM market. That could be bad news for Manchester United, because I could see a player like Baleba alongside (Ryan) Gravenberch, allowing the front four to operate with more freedom.”

Tony Bloom remained firm on his not-for-sale stance for Baleba and will only consider a sale if presented with an offer that exceeds the £115m Chelsea paid for Caicedo.

Liverpool, of course, sanctioned two signings exceeding the £100m mark when Alexander Isak completed his British transfer record move to Anfield from Newcastle United on deadline day, joining Wirtz.

The 22-year-old is a 2025 Ballon d’Or nominee, alongside three of his Reds teammates, but Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele is the current favourite to be the recipient of the award on Monday.

Wirtz has been the subject of intense scrutiny for his performances since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. If Liverpool rival Man United in the race for Baleba, allowing the German to have a more free-flowing role at Anfield, this could see Ruben Amorim lose out on a priority target.

Florian Wirtz is under pressure to impress at Liverpool

While criticism of Wirtz has been deemed “unfair”, the nature of his blockbuster move to Anfield does bring the immediate expectation to hit the ground running.

Although it took the midfielder only four minutes into his competitive debut to register his first goal involvement, he has yet to register a goal or an assist in the Premier League thus far.

Liverpool have maintained a perfect league record in their title defence with Wirtz starting every match, and the lack of recognisable contribution has not gone unnoticed by the media.

He will, of course, be afforded the necessary time to adapt to life in English football, and he will be expected to play himself into form for the Reds ahead of their hectic domestic and European schedule.