Manchester United's Midfield Targets: Scott, Kone, Baleba and More
Manchester United have spent big and moved early. Now comes the tricky part.
With Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos already through the door for a combined £85m, United’s summer rebuild in midfield is well underway. Two in, but the brief has always been three. The final piece is clear: a defensive midfielder who can protect the back four and flip defence into attack in a heartbeat.
Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, is not rushing the decision. The club stepped away from expensive pursuits of Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, and there is a sense at Old Trafford that the money already spent has been smart. The next move has to be smarter.
Scott, Kone and a battle with Bournemouth
Among the names in the frame, two keep resurfacing: Alex Scott and Manu Kone.
Scott has been on United’s radar for some time. Ben Jacobs revealed that Bournemouth actually received a call from Old Trafford about the 22-year-old before Chelsea tested the waters with their own bid. Bournemouth instantly rebuffed United’s enquiry. Chelsea were also turned away.
Scott has since rejected a new contract at the Vitality Stadium. With two years left on his deal, that would usually be the point where a selling club starts to listen. Not Bournemouth. TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey has reported that there is still confidence on the south coast that Scott will eventually sign fresh terms, and that the Cherries intend to keep batting away offers.
That resistance has nudged United’s gaze more firmly towards Kone.
The Roma midfielder has climbed quickly up their list. Multiple outlets claim United have already reached an agreement over personal terms with the Frenchman, a significant step in any modern transfer. There is, however, a major caveat: club-to-club talks with Roma have not yet begun.
Jacobs, speaking on the United Stand, made it clear Kone is “definitely high in Manchester United’s thinking” and sits “much higher on the list” of options. Arsenal and Chelsea have looked at him as well, though his involvement at the World Cup slowed any real progress.
Sky Sports have backed up the suggestion that personal terms with Kone are in place, while stressing that another name cannot be pushed out of the frame.
Baleba: the ideal fit United “absolutely love”
Carlos Baleba is that name.
Inside Old Trafford, there is a strong belief that the Fulham midfielder ticks almost every box for the role. Bailey went as far as to say that, in a perfect scenario, United would simply go and get him.
“In an ideal world they’d just sign Carlos Baleba. They absolutely love his game,” he said, while acknowledging the player did not have his best season. That dip has not dented United’s conviction that he would be an “outstanding fit”.
Sky Sports echo that stance: Baleba cannot be discounted, even with Kone seemingly further down the line in terms of personal agreement.
United’s criteria are clear. They want someone who can genuinely shield the defence, not just another passer or box-to-box option. Baleba’s profile, with his physical presence and defensive instincts, keeps him firmly in the conversation.
Tchouameni, Adams and a long shot at the top
At the very top of United’s ideal-world list sits a player they are highly unlikely to get.
Aurelien Tchouameni is described by Jacobs as being “right near the top of the list” of targets. United admire him enormously. The problem is simple and brutal: he is staying at Real Madrid. As Jacobs pointed out, any admiration is “1,000% irrelevant” if the player has already agreed a new deal at the Bernabeu. And that, he says, is the situation.
So United watch from afar, knowing Tchouameni is the kind of anchor they crave, but not the one they can realistically land this summer.
Lower down the pecking order sits Tyler Adams. United’s interest in the Bournemouth and United States midfielder first surfaced when the club were closing in on Santos, and has since been corroborated by Jacobs. Adams brings Premier League experience and a strong defensive work-rate, but at this stage he remains a secondary option rather than a headline pursuit.
A crowded shortlist, one decisive call
Behind the scenes, the shortlist is now well-defined. Scott, Kone, Baleba, Adams and the unattainable Tchouameni form the core of United’s thinking. Fulham’s Sander Berge has also entered the frame, with United taking what has been described as a “serious” look at the Norwegian after learning his price.
The pattern is obvious: physical, defensively minded midfielders who can give Kobbie Mainoo and the more creative players the platform to play. United have already made what they regard as shrewd calls in turning away from some of the more expensive names early in the window. The next decision carries even more weight.
They have room in the budget, a clear profile, and several doors half-open.
Now comes the question that will shape their season: do they pay the premium for Scott, push on with Kone, finally pull the trigger on Baleba, or trust a cheaper solution to hold the spine of Manchester United together?
