Carlos Baleba could soon become Manchester United’s long-awaited marquee midfield signing, but he may also emerge as an option in another position on the pitch.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s David Ornstein made a major revelation by reporting that Manchester United and Brighton are in advanced discussions over Baleba’s transfer.

The move has been developing for more than a year, and it may finally be completed in the coming days.

Fabrizio Romano has said the next few hours could be crucial, with the two clubs expected to continue talks.

United’s transfer drive has taken an interesting course so far. After bringing in Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, INEOS paused its midfield plans and turned attention towards signing a new left-back to share duties with Luke Shaw.

The Premier League giants were keen to land Lewis Hall, but Newcastle United stood firm and maintained that the 21-year-old was not for sale.

Manchester United also looked at Myles Lewis-Skelly. The Arsenal youngster is capable of operating at both left-back and in midfield, which made him an ideal solution. However, the English player has now established himself as a regular in Mikel Arteta’s side, which is why the Gunners are not prepared to consider a sale.

Interestingly, The Athletic’s Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell believes Baleba could be asked to fill in at left-back if needed, even though the club’s plan remains to sign a more natural option for that role.

“Baleba has not played at left-back for Brighton, but his left-footedness makes that a possibility at United should the need arise. He twice played for Brighton at centre-back,” the journalist wrote in his latest column for The Athletic.

In modern football, several elite players have moved between central midfield and full-back, including Joshua Kimmich, Eduardo Camavinga, and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Managers have recognised that midfielders often possess a natural ability to adapt to full-back roles, and vice versa, probably because both positions demand contributions in both phases of the game, along with a heavy workload.

So Baleba would not be the first midfielder to be used at full-back, but it must be noted that the Cameroon international appears tailor-made for the No. 6 role because of his capacity to impose himself in midfield and control proceedings through his strength, stamina and tactical awareness.

Ideally, Manchester United should sign a natural left-back to rotate with Shaw and ensure Baleba does not have to be moved into defence unless Michael Carrick is dealing with an emergency.