Devoted to the cause! Baleba has made it clear to Brighton that his only desire is to join Manchester United, possibly requiring a last-minute move in the summer window.

Premier League side Brighton have resumed pre-season training and are making thorough preparations for their training camp. Next week, the "Seagulls" will fly to France to prepare for the upcoming season with two friendly matches. Carlos Baleba, the 22-year-old Cameroon international, has reported back to the team, but his mind may be elsewhere.

As is well known, since last summer, Baleba has been dreaming of joining Manchester United. Unfortunately, Brighton's £100 million asking price led United to back off. Due to this and his injury troubles, Baleba's performance last season was quite poor. As a result, Manchester United and its fans are no longer as interested in him.

According to British media reports, Baleba has informed Brighton that his dream is still to play for Manchester United. United have yet to decide whether to continue pursuing Baleba or turn to other midfield options such as Manu Kone or Alex Scott. However, if United do make a move, Baleba would be willing to do everything possible to facilitate the transfer.

Last summer, Baleba himself clearly expressed his desire to join Manchester United, and Brighton rejected a £75 million bid from United, which left him deeply disappointed. Now, the British media often speculate that the Seagulls are willing to lower their price, and £75 million might be enough to secure Baleba, but this has never actually happened.

Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic says that among the four most-rumored midfield targets from last season, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali have already completed moves to other clubs. Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton is 100% unlikely to join United due to his style being similar to existing players. Only Baleba might have to wait until the end of the summer window.

"Manchester United are looking for an elite midfielder," he said. "Wharton seems out of the picture; Crystal Palace won't lower their price, and they will compare it to Elliot Anderson's transfer fee. For Wharton, a transfer appears unlikely. As for Baleba, United were pushing hard for his move before, but now everything has gone quiet. Whether it's Brighton's high asking price or other reasons, we'll have to wait and see. Perhaps when the summer window deadline approaches, the situation might change."

Ben Jacobs said: "As long as Manchester United are willing to pay Brighton's asking price, they can complete the Baleba deal quickly. Because his situation is similar to Tielemans—last summer he said he only wanted to join United, and his mindset hasn't changed. So if United make an offer, personal terms won't be an issue. They have already secured the player's agreement, meaning they only need to negotiate directly with Brighton without getting into a bidding war. However, we are not there yet. United are carefully considering the third midfielder option and have therefore pressed the pause button for now."

It is understood that Manchester United's current recruitment criteria include three points: one is that a player must show a strong desire to join before United makes a formal offer. As long as they have Premier League experience, especially those who can contribute immediately, players of any age (under or over 23) can be prioritized, such as Tielemans. If the price is reasonable, the player is under 23, and still has time to develop, then players from non-Premier League leagues can also be brought in, for example Sesko or Sena Lammers.

Manchester United's owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS team wants to bring in players who are fully committed to playing for United, and Baleba fits that criterion. His skills are also considered highly promising, and at just 22, he has plenty of room for further development. Moreover, his playing style is quite suitable to complement United's academy rising star Kobbie Mainoo and the £35 million new signing Tielemans.

However, Baleba's slump after failing to secure a move to Manchester United raises doubts about his mental resilience, which is crucial for playing at a top club like the Red Devils. At Old Trafford, a new signing will inevitably face setbacks and challenges, and must have the ability to bounce back—definitely not collapse like Baleba did last season.