By OkayGoal
An intriguing transfer tale has emerged suggesting Arsenal had the chance to sign Carlos Baleba long before Manchester United ever entered the picture, but Arteta’s attention was fixed firmly elsewhere.
Carlos Baleba was offered to Arsenal but Gunners had other plans
According to journalist Ollie, Baleba was offered to Arsenal right at the start of the summer window, with the Brighton midfielder reportedly very keen on making the move to the Emirates. Brighton, though, were never going to let him go cheaply, quoting a fee north of €70million for a player who has become one of the most sought after young midfielders in the country.
The twist here is that Arsenal simply were not interested, despite Baleba’s own enthusiasm for the move. With the club’s midfield priorities already mapped out, their sole focus for that position was said to be Bruno Guimaraes, a target they eventually got over the line, and one that clearly left little room for a second midfield addition regardless of how willing the player might have been.
It is a reminder of just how ruthlessly focused Arteta’s recruitment can be once a priority has been identified. Rather than being swayed by a player’s willingness or the noise around a deal, Arsenal appear to have stuck rigidly to their own internal plan, even when that meant turning down a genuinely talented alternative who was, by all accounts, there for the taking.
Author Opinion
For Manchester United, the outcome could hardly have worked out better, scooping up a player Arsenal had already run the numbers on and decided against, seemingly without United needing to fend off any real competition from North London.
There will be a temptation among some Gooners to wonder what might have been, particularly given how highly rated Baleba has become but the calm certainty behind the Guimaraes pursuit suggests this was never really a close call from Arsenal’s side.
Whether Baleba goes on to justify United’s outlay remains to be seen, but for Arsenal this is not even a missed opportunity given how they got Bruno G. over the line.
🚨 Interesting transfer story on Carlos Baleba.
According to @Ollie_journo, Baleba was offered to Arsenal at the start of the window and the midfielder was reportedly very interested in joining the Gunners.
However, Brighton quoted €70M+, while Arsenal were NOT INTERESTED in… pic.twitter.com/ABf5nkvqEC
— Arsenal Radar (@ArsenalRadar) August 26, 2026