Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

Talk of the Devils streamed live to the four corners of the globe for the first time on the eve of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

The headline news is that a deal is progressing between Manchester United and Brighton for the transfer of defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Athletic's David Ornstein reported 'amicable' negotiations on Wednesday, and Carl is happy, but will the transfer dealings end with an agreement for this long-term target.

Baleba won't face Hull City with the rest of Michael Carrick's squad, we can be fairly certain of that, but there are high hopes of an emphatic United win as the Tigers return to the top tier for the first time in a decade.

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Pre-season is over, finishing with a slightly dispiriting 4-2 defeat to Ruben Amorim's AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland, but overall the feelings are positive. So, what are Michael Carrick's priority issues as the start of the new campaign gets ever nearer?

That also means it's time for our now-traditional season preview predictions... top scorer? ...player of the season? ...league finish? ...and, of course, Carl's bad take amnesty. We will keep the receipts and check back to see who was closest to the mark.

The fixture list looks awfully hectic in comparison to last season. Will the start turn out to be as kind as it looks? How might that early derby go? And, which of United's rivals (if any) will be able to get their stuff together with so many clubs in a state of flux.

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Manchester United's penultimate pre-season test ended in a penalty shootout victory over Leeds at Croke Park in Dublin.

Following that, Michael Carrick sat down with the journalist pack to discuss the state of his squad, his vision for how he wants this team to play and whether more recruits could be on the way. With the opening day of the Premier League edging closer, what should we expect from United when the competitive action finally gets underway?

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Another week closer to the new season, and another successful workout for Michael Carrick's squad; 1-1 against PSG in Gothenburg saw Andrey Santos do well again; will he be part of Manchester United's starting midfield on the opening day?

The remaining World Cup stars, including Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez, will now join up with the squad as they head to Dublin to face Leeds. There's still time for new faces, and Mason Mount's withdrawal got a few hearts beating, but will Newcastle's insistence that Lewis Hall is not for sale hold? Maybe an alternative target is required.

There has been movement in the goalkeeping department, though. The debate over the fee agreed with Middlesbrough for Radek Vitek is an interesting one; could he end up breaking a transfer record of sorts?

Click here to read Tom Burrows interview with Brandon Williams on The Athletic.

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It's a punchy question with the season still three weeks away and World Cup players yet to return to training, so in once sense no, Manchester United are not Premier-League-ready, but...

With no fewer than nine clubs set to have a managerial debut on the opening weekend, including Liverpool, Man City, and Chelsea, are United now a model of calm as chaos reigns around them? Michael Carrick has been able to blood youngsters and slowly build the fitness of his squad in a measured way.

Of course, the transfer market is only ever quiet on the surface. Lewis Hall continues to be the subject of speculation but we're working on estimates as to Newcastle's asking price; what price cover for Luke Shaw? And, with Mason Mount impressing his teammates in pre-season, might the recruitment team shelve plans for a third purchase in midfield?

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It seemed that Marcus Rashford's time at Manchester United had come to an end. However, with Barcelona making moves for two attacking players and no other obvious suitors, it now looks like he might be back at Old Trafford this season. We debate the pros and cons of a potential return.

Rashford is the most famous graduate of Manchester United's academy but the 5-0 pre-season win over Rosenborg showed there is plenty of talent coming through... but breaking into the first team is as hard as it's ever been.

It may get harder if another midfielder arrives, as well: we have a small transfer update and discuss the reaction to a club email sent to some season ticket holders.

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The World Cup is over and Manchester United's pre-season has begun, although neither has happened in quite the way we wanted... there are some interesting things to learn about Lisandro Martinez and Marcus Rashford after they saw out contrasting 45-minute shifts over the weekend. Kobbie Mainoo didn't get a single minute from Thomas Tuchel... hopefully his back isn't too sore when he returns to Carrington.

Over in Helsinki, United fan Sam Smith lived out a dream scenario as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 over the reds by Wrexham. There wasn't too much of note for Michael Carrick's team although we did get a first outing for Andrey Santos and Leny Yoro at right-back might be significant.

Finally, we return to the transfer of Youri Tielemans having had a little time to reflect, and think about who the third midfielder might be should one arrive after Ederson signed a new contract in Italy.

Get more information about Jere Virtanen's Manchester United museum in Helsinki here

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Does anything move faster than the Manchester United news cycle? Talk of the Devils ran a practical test today; when we started recording the deal to bring Ederson from Atalanta was still progressing with no new names in circulation. Twenty minutes later, things were very different!

It isn't the first news story to break during a podcast recording, but the move for Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans has a massive impact on the summer transfer window and really changes the landscape for any potential third midfield target.

Meanwhile, the World Cup isn't exactly overflowing with positive United stories; unless you're Mark Critchley, that is. And, there's been a fresh vision of the plan for a stadium to replace Old Trafford, with a possible revision of the target date.

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Manchester United officials are not alone in knowing that the most pressing area of squad improvement, in order to compete in the Premier League and Champions League next season, is the centre of midfield. Targets were identified long ago and we still expect Brazilian Ederson to become the first acquisition.

However, an unexpected double splurge by Tottenham Hotspur, bringing in Newcastle's Sandro Tonali and West Ham's Mateus Fernandes for a potential outlay of £180m, has inflated the market for players in that position?

With Manchester City winning the race for Forest's Elliot Anderson, where do United now turn to in their pursuit of midfielders, and how much of what has happened was factored into the transfer strategy. Things should become clearer once players return from the World Cup, but pre-season starts this week. Are we worried?

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This was always going to be a World Cup centred episode, but we had hoped the news would be a little happier. Manuel Ugarte has sustained a significant knee ligament injury and while, of course, it will have an impact on United's summer transfer plans our immediate thoughts are with the man himself.

Elsewhere in the tournament, there hasn't been an awful lot of action for United participants. Bruno Fernandes has played every minute of every Portugal game, something no other United player has done for their nation, and Kobbie Mainoo is one of four yet to make it onto the pitch.

Mateus Cunha is possibly the most encouraging story so far; Brazilian fans are learning to love his style just as Reds did last season and, notwithstanding a difficult test against Japan, here's hoping we'll see his celebrations a few more times. Not that anyone from TotD has drafted him!

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