Manchester United plot 2026 midfield splash with Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson on shortlist

Manchester United are laying the groundwork for a major midfield refresh in summer 2026, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Newcastle’s Elliot Anderson high on the list. Club planning will hinge on outgoing sales and the Casemiro decision, but the intent is clear - United want power, legs and press resistance at the heart of the team. I’m told both players have been live-scouted repeatedly across the last year and fit the INEOS-led blueprint for younger, coachable profiles. If conditions align, United could push for one or even two midfielders, locking in a long-term partner group around Kobbie Mainoo.

This development follows internal planning conversations and consistent briefings from well-connected reporters, including discussion on the Here We Go podcast. United’s recruitment department has kept detailed files on Carlos Baleba at Brighton and Elliot Anderson at Newcastle, with the 2026 window seen as a strategic inflection point. The club’s stance is that any big move will be shaped by market opportunities, expected outgoings and the timeline around Casemiro. Fan chatter has intensified after recent mentions of these names in respected outlets, matching what I have heard about United’s long-range shortlist.

🚨 BREAKING: Manchester United are prepared to go big on midfielders in summer 2026! The names of Baleba and Anderson are being maintained - it may be one or two but it depends on opportunities, sales and Casemiro’s situation. [@FabrizioRomano, @podcastherewego]

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

The 2026 focus is deliberate. By then, United expect a clearer wage bill, a tidier amortisation picture and a stable core around Kobbie Mainoo. Baleba profiles as a dynamic 6-8 who presses forward, carries through contact and wins ground duels without losing structure. At Brighton, he has shown the repeatability of actions you need in a top-six build - scan, receive under pressure, step out and progress. Anderson brings a different rhythm. He is a two-way 8 who can shuttle, combine and break lines with timing rather than sheer force, and he boosts the homegrown quota.

Tactically, pairing either with Mainoo reduces United’s reliance on late-phase recovery defending. Baleba would give Ten Hag or any successor a more robust first ball out of pressure, letting Bruno or Mount receive higher. Anderson suits a mid-block or counter-press - he tracks runners, anticipates second balls and offers clean, early passes to wingers. Financially, both fit the INEOS preference for age-profiled value with upside. With Casemiro’s role naturally tapering as he ages, a staggered handover to a Baleba-Mainoo axis, plus Anderson as a connector, looks coherent. It is the kind of layered planning United have lacked in recent cycles.

Reaction

Online reaction among United fans has been lively and, frankly, impatient. A chunk of replies insist Elliot Anderson must be the first signing, framing him as a high-floor, Premier League-tested addition who would raise intensity from day one. Others are fixated on Baleba’s ceiling - the idea of him and Mainoo patrolling midfield has people talking about an athletic core the club has missed since peak Herrera and prime Matic.

There is healthy debate too. Some want Adam Wharton as a cleaner passer, a few call for a short-term Ruben Neves loan, and others argue Manu Koné remains a better buy for transition phases. One anxiety pops up repeatedly: the fear that Manchester City could accelerate for an Anderson-type profile while United hesitate. A couple of posts even sketch a Baleba-Anderson double swoop as the dream scenario. Overall vibe: cautiously bullish, with the fanbase craving urgency and clarity around Casemiro’s future to unlock the rest of the plan.

Social reactions

PLEAAAASSSEEEEEE ANDWERSONNNN

UTD_Baz (@baz_utd)

If they can't do it in January then oh

Champion John/ (NkosiNathi) (@emmanuelmapamba)

I rather 👀 both are 3️⃣ of them this winter transfer instead why wait

Oliver Davy (@OliverDavy80744)

Prediction

Three realistic pathways emerge. If Casemiro departs before or during 2026 - a scenario the club is actively modeling - United will pursue two midfielders. In that case, Baleba becomes the priority 6-8 at a projected fee in the £50m-£60m region, with Anderson targeted as the complementary box-to-box profile around £35m-£45m depending on add-ons and contract position. The club would likely move early, aiming to front-load medicals before preseason to anchor the summer narrative around a rebuilt engine room.

If Casemiro stays, expect one signing - most logically Baleba - to protect minutes for Mainoo while maintaining upside. A third scenario involves market disruption: if rival bids inflate valuations or a surprise opportunity appears, United could pivot to a single marquee addition and a lower-cost rotational piece. Either way, the shortlist feels stable. United have tracked both long enough to trust the data and live reports, and the profiles align with an INEOS-era squad-cost approach. My read: groundwork across the next 12 months, final moves once sales crystallise, and a clear push to lock in at least one of the two by early summer 2026.

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Conclusion

This is what a grown-up recruitment plan looks like. Identify the profiles early, pressure test them across seasons, then strike when the financials and the squad map say go. Baleba ticks the big boxes - physical range, press resistance, repeat actions - while Anderson offers Premier League rhythm, homegrown status and smart, low-touch efficiency that keeps attacks alive. Together with Mainoo, United would finally have a balanced triangle rather than a stop-start blend of short-term fixes.

The message I keep hearing is consistent: United want to get younger, faster and tougher in midfield, and they are prepared to spend when the timing lands. If sales and the Casemiro call fall into place, expect decisive movement. Fans have waited a long time for a midfield that can control games without breaking shape. This 2026 plan gives them a credible path there - and the confidence inside the building suggests it is not just noise. It has legs.