Manchester United is chasing midfielders Manu Kone and Carlos Baleba this summer, but the club's other big bet — the MUFC fan token — has quietly collapsed since it launched in 2021.
The Transfer Targets
United's recruitment team has identified Kone, a French midfielder currently at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Baleba, a Cameroon international who plays for Brighton, as priority targets. Both players are in their early 20s and fit the club's shift toward younger, high-potential signings. The club has not made formal bids yet, but sources close to the negotiations say talks are ongoing.
Kone, 22, impressed during his time in the Bundesliga and is seen as a box-to-box option. Baleba, 20, broke into Brighton's first team last season and offers physicality and ball-winning ability. United's midfield has been a weak spot, and manager Erik ten Hag wants reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
The Fan Token's Fade
Meanwhile, the MUFC fan token — a cryptocurrency launched in partnership with Socios.com — has lost nearly all its value and trading volume. The token was meant to give holders voting rights on minor club decisions and access to exclusive content. At its peak in 2021, the token traded at around $6. Today it's worth pennies, and daily trading volume has dropped to a few thousand dollars.
The experiment was part of a broader trend of sports clubs jumping into crypto. But interest waned as the crypto market cooled and fans questioned the real utility of the tokens. United has not promoted the token in months, and the Socios partnership appears dormant. The club has not publicly addressed the token's decline or announced any plans to revive it.
For now, United's focus is on the pitch. The transfer window closes in two weeks, and the club needs to move quickly if it wants to land Kone or Baleba. Whether the fan token ever gets a second life is an open question — one the club seems in no hurry to answer.
