Manchester United chased Brighton and Hove Albion star Carlos Baleba in the summer, only for his hefty £100m price tag to prove too costly – but they could have a perfect alternative lined up
Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter
21:38, 07 Oct 2025
Aaron Morris is a senior sports reporter for Reach PLC’s Sports Hub. Aaron initially joined us in October 2021, working for Chronicle Live as a local reporter before making the move to the Sports Hub in 2024. He currently reports on football, boxing, mixed-martial arts, tennis, golf and Formula 1.
Manchester United’s summer pursuit of Carlos Baleba bore no fruit(Image: PA)
Manchester United may have an excellent alternative for Carlos Baleba lined up for the January transfer window in Yehor Yarmolyuk.
United were heavily linked with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Baleba for the majority of the summer, but a deal never quite came to fruition. The 21-year-old was deemed too valuable to let go by Fabian Hurzeler, and saw a ludicrous £100million price tag slapped on him as a result.
Due to Ruben Amorim spending more than £200m on a new front-line consisting of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, the United board opted to put their pursuit of Baleba on the backburner for now. And while there’s whispers of the Reds revisiting their interest in January, they may have their heads turned by another Premier League player in Yarmolyuk.
Also 21, the midfielder joined Brentford from Dnipro-1 three years ago for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of around £1.3m. And the Ukrainian has wasted no time in finding his footing in the capital, racking up 75 appearances for the Bees across all competitions.
With at least six years remaining on his current contract, Brentford are well within their right to retain the player, and have reportedly made it clear that they hold no intentions of letting him leave the Gtech Community Stadium this season. However, should United bide their time and wait until the time is right, it is thought that they will be able to snag the star for around £30m.
All things considered, Yarmolyuk would make an excellent addition to Amorim’s ageing engine room. One of the side’s biggest downfalls last term was relying on the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen to cover ground in the centre of the park behind Bruno Fernandes in a No. 10 role, which ultimately saw United’s midfield flooded by far younger and fitter opponents.
And while Amorim holds depth in Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo, questions regarding the former’s suitability in the English top flight remain unanswered, while Amorim’s patented system doesn’t particularly complement Mainoo’s style of play.
Do you think Yehor Yarmolyuk would be a good fit at Manchester United? Let us know in the comments section.
Given that Amorim failed to strengthen his midfield this summer, the Old Trafford top brass may be forced to dig further into their pockets come January with hopes of ironing out any concerns that remain. And should Brentford have changed their tune on Yarmolyuk by then, he could be a perfect pick.
A tireless box-to-box sort of player who thrives on defensive duties, that’s not to say that the Ukrainian is a one-trick pony. He carries the ball well, reads the game flawlessly and already has a wealth of maturity about him despite his age. However, United are not the only club who are said to have spotted talent in the youngster at present.
As per reports, both Chelsea and Tottenham are also said to be interested in acquiring Yarmolyuk in the future. Spurs may hold a major advantage in their pursuit, given Thomas Frank already has a solid relationship with the player as a result of working closely with him during his own stint at Brentford.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have historically performed better than United over the past two seasons. However, with the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez two of the first names on Enzo Maresca’s team-sheet at present, as well as a squad jam-packed in terms of depth, Yarmolyuk may hold reservations with regards to the amount of game-time he would receive at Stamford Bridge.
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