Overview

• Sky Sports reporting indicates Manchester United are prioritising a central midfielder for the 2026 summer window after a heavy outlay on attackers and with limited January business expected.
• Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson are on United’s scouting list, with both players under long-term deals and likely to command substantial fees.
• Football365 relayed a claim from an X account that Baleba will request a January exit from Brighton, a report that remains unconfirmed as United’s strategy points to summer moves.
• Sky Sports journalists say there is a realistic prospect Casemiro’s contract will not be renewed, a scenario that would free up wages to reshape the midfield.
• Foot Italia, via The Peoples Person, reports Fiorentina are exploring Casemiro but would require the midfielder to accept a significant pay cut, with previous Saudi interest also noted.