Manchester United have reportedly made a bid in the region of £70m for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian striker is being eyed by INEOS to become Ruben Amorim's number nine.
A new frontman is at the top of the club's agenda following the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. But fans don't think a new centre-forward should be the priority.
Those watching United face Everton in their pre-season friendly in the USA have insisted a new midfielder should be signed. They have grown frustrated with Manuel Ugarte and are urging Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell to swoop for a Premier League star.
Fans want Man United to target Brighton's Carlos Baleba
Carlos Baleba has become one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the Premier League since arriving at Brighton in the summer of 2023. He's a dynamic box-to-box midfielder who has the energy that would help United in transition and help put out fires defensively.
The Red Devils started their friendly against Everton well but started to struggle in the middle of the park with Ugarte particularly poor. This didn't go unnoticed by fans who made clear they want to see Baleba arrive this summer over Sesko.
One fan wrote:
"Send the bid back for Sesko and bid for Baleba, I cba with Ugarte anymore man."
Another supporter stated:
"Abandon the sesko plan go out and sign baleba please."
One fan wrote:
"I like the rotations between Mbeumo & Cunha. The attacking combinations were sharp. A player like Baleba needed a lot more than Sesko IMO. Swap Dorgu for Dalot. Ugarte for Baleba (if possible, likely not) and that would be some team."
Even an Arsenal fan chimed in:
"United need Baleba more than they need Sesko."
Baleba has three years left on his contract at Brighton so the Seagulls aren't under pressure to sell. But United have been linked with the Cameroonian, with Ben Jacobs (via UtdTruthful) claiming that the Reds "appreciate" the 21-year-old but that he's one likely to be on the agenda in 12 months' time.
Amorim namedropped Ugarte when explaining Everton's equaliser
Amorim isn't afraid to call his players out if he feels they have put a foot wrong and that was the case for Ugarte against Everton. The Portuguese coach spoke at half-time about the role he played in the Toffees' equaliser scored by Iliman Ndiaye (via centredevils):
"When Ugarte has the ball, you can see the defence walking towards the box. We need to sprint. When Ugarte loses the ball we need to be at least on the edge of the box. These small details we need to improve."
Ugarte has been on the receiving end of plenty of flack from fans throughout his time with United. Many don't feel he's the right fit alongside Bruno Fernandes, who opened the scoring through a penalty, or Kobbie Mainoo.
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