Manchester United have reached an agreement with Brighton to sign midfielder Carlos Baleba for up to £70 million, including an initial £65 million plus £5 million in add-ons, the clubs announced today [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Baleba, 22, is a Cameroon international who joined Brighton from Lille in 2023. He has made over 90 Premier League appearances and possibly as many as 112 across all competitions for Brighton, according to varying reports [2, 3, 5, 6].
The midfielder is expected to undergo a medical with Manchester United during the weekend of August 22-23 before the transfer can be finalized [1, 4, 5, 6]. Baleba has been sidelined recently with an ankle injury, but it is not considered a major concern for the medical [5].
His signing will be United's third midfield addition this summer following the arrivals of Youri Tielemans for £35 million and Andrey Santos for £48 million. Including Baleba, Manchester United's total spending on midfielders this transfer window is estimated at £148 million [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The deal also includes a sell-on clause payable to Brighton [1, 2, 3]. Last summer, Baleba was valued at over £100 million, but United chose not to pursue the transfer then. The agreed fee now is around £50 million less [5].
Speaking about the club’s midfield rebuild, United assistant coach Michael Carrick said, "I think it gives you the foundation of the team, you know. We’re conscious of that, and I think we’ve got a good spine of the team right now... We can keep improving as we go in different ways, coaching and helping the boys and developing them" [4].
Manchester United start their Premier League campaign on August 22 with an away game at promoted Hull City [2, 3, 5, 6]. The medical and transfer completion for Baleba are expected before that match.
