Manchester United's top summer transfer target suffered humiliation, substituted after 22 minutes! Manchester City reportedly bids £100 million for Anderson

Cameroonian defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba, who Manchester United is likely to sign this summer, faced a humiliating moment in this week's Premier League. He started in Brighton's 0-1 loss to Aston Villa but was taken off after just 22 minutes. The 22-year-old youngster was understandably very disappointed.

Just two minutes into the game, Baleba received a red card for fouling Morgan Rogers, putting him at a disadvantage. Twenty minutes later, coach Fabian Hürzeler said he had no choice but to substitute Baleba to prevent him from being sent off. Veteran James Milner replaced Baleba, equaling Gareth Barry's Premier League record of 653 appearances.

After the disgraceful exit, Baleba sat on the bench with his jersey covering his head. Since the failed transfer rumors to Manchester United last summer, the defensive midfielder's Premier League form has sharply declined, having been substituted at halftime five times and only completing one full match in 21 games. Coach Hürzeler defended Baleba this time, saying the early yellow card shown by referee Peter Bankes was a mistake.

“I am very unhappy with the yellow card he received; it was completely wrong. The action wasn’t even a serious foul or tactical foul, yet the referee still gave a yellow card,” Hürzeler said. “We had to protect him, which was the only reason for the substitution. The referee’s decision to show a yellow card had a huge impact; we had no choice but to make the change.”

Before this season, Manchester United wanted to sign Baleba, who was then hailed as one of the Premier League’s top defensive midfielders. Brighton valued him at £120 million, which prevented the deal from going through. Since then, the Cameroonian international’s performances have been poor, with the coach clearly stating that the transfer rumors affected Baleba’s development.

There were rumors that Manchester United considered signing Baleba again in January, but Brighton refused to lower their price, hoping to sell him at an ideal fee once his form improved. Meanwhile, Manchester United reportedly did not mind Baleba’s dip in form, seeing it as an opportunity to reduce the transfer cost and expecting him to return to normal after joining.

Baleba has always been on Manchester United’s shortlist for defensive midfielders, alongside Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson and Crystal Palace’s Adam Walton. However, 23-year-old England international Anderson is also a target for Manchester City. According to "TEAMtalk," Manchester City is willing to pay £100 million for him, which would dash Manchester United’s hopes.

Manchester City views Anderson as a long-term replacement for Rodri, offering abundant stamina and tactical versatility. Moreover, he is a lifelong Manchester City fan. If City agrees to meet Nottingham Forest’s asking price, Manchester United will have no chance of winning the race.

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that Manchester United’s shortlist includes many midfielders, among them the recently linked Italian international Sandro Tonali. According to him, Baleba was the preferred choice of former coach Ruben Amorim, but the final signing may depend on the next manager.

Romano said: “Manchester United’s list contains several midfielders, with Tonali being one of the players they are monitoring. The final decision depends on the permanent manager and Champions League qualification. Under caretaker manager Ten Hag, the main target was Baleba. Now, Manchester United does appreciate Tonali, but he is not the only option; there are many targets. At present, we don’t know who the top choice is. United will wait until Champions League qualification and next season’s manager are confirmed before finalizing their midfield target.”