On Wednesday night, Manchester United's desire to sign Elliot Anderson all but came to an end.

The Red Devils may well still want him but their hopes of luring one of English football's biggest talents to Old Trafford are essentially finished.

Manchester City have had a bid of £120m rejected and while they are likely to return with another offer, it has blown United out of the water.

Michael Carrick's side may well be a very wealthy club but trying to compete with those sorts of fees in this summer's market is simply out of the question.

Supporters will bemoan a lack of ambition but it's difficult to protest here. With City at the table, realistically this is one United were not really ever going to have a chance of completing.

So, what's next forJason Wilcox and Co?

Anderson alternative is waiting for Man United to sign him

Anderson was the dream target this summer and understandably so. Set to start alongside Declan Rice in the England engine room this summer, the Nottingham Forest star is one of the premium talents that the Premier League has to offer.

No midfielder ran a greater distance in the top-flight last term. Only one player in the whole division registered more defensive contributions per 90 minutes.

This is an elite level player who will be well worth a £100m plus transfer fee.

United will need to find a solid alternative but that will not be easy. Ederson is set to arrive from Atalanta in a bid to make up for that Anderson heartache but they will need more. There is a sense that a marquee addition is required.

The two biggest targets would appear to be Mateus Fernandes at West Ham and Bournemouth's Alex Scott. Links to Brighton's Carlos Baleba also refuse to go away.

Speaking about the latest on United's hunt for a new midfielder, journalist Ben Jacobs said on the United Stand YouTube channel: "Man United can explore Scott and Fernandes and then if they want to pivot to Baleba, they already know the terms, they already know the player wants to join. The only thing they don't know is what kind of asking price Brighton will start with."

Previous reports have suggested it might be a £75m fee which is cheaper than the £100m price that was being touted a week ago.

Why Baleba could be the perfect Casemiro replacement

United may well have missed out on Anderson but in Ederson, they are set to sign what looks like an exceptional replacement for Casemiro.

The Atalanta man has been described as the "strongest defensive midfielder in the world" by Italian content creator Damiano Coccia, and will bring a degree of duel winning that could see him replace his fellow Brazilian expertly.

Yet, there is a sense that for all of Baleba's flaws this season, he does have a really high ceiling, an even bigger one that Ederson, in particular.

It was only a year ago that the Brighton star was being talked about in a similar way that Anderson is now. While the England international is set to get his move, Baleba did not and he's arguably paying the price.

In 2024/25, the Cameroon midfielder was one of the best in the league but his numbers over recent times have dwindled. 2025/26 was not kind at all to the player who struggled to ever really find form under Fabian Hurzeler.

That said, he is still only 22 years of age and there is a lot of potential left to extract.

Growing up, the young Brighton midfielder's idol was Paul Pogba and it's clear to see why. He's got that Pogba-esque ability to carry the ball forward through the centre of the pitch powerfully and quickly.

In that regard, Baleba would represent an enormous upgrade on Casemiro. His 1.11 successful dribbles per 90 in 2024/25 were far better than the Brazilian's 0.21 this season. Compared to midfielders in the Premier League, that was one of the worst tallies in the entire division.

What's crucial is that if United do end up moving for the Brighton star, that they get the version we saw last season, rather than this season.

If they did get him, he would be an outstanding asset next to Kobbie Mainoo in Carrick's side. He won an enormous amount of duels in 2024/25, 6.71 to be precise. Casemiro, for context, won 6.61 per 90 during his final term with United.

As a result, what they could get here is the second coming of their great Brazilian, just with a bit more energy and a much better ball carrying ability.