Manchester United are poised to sign Carlos Baleba after Brighton agreed a fee and gave him the green light to travel for a medical on Saturday.
United have been interested in Baleba for over a year and now have a deal in place for the 22-year-old midfielder. After seeing an initial offer of £60million plus £5m in add-ons rejected, the two clubs have shaken hands on £65m plus £5m in add-ons, reports the Manchester Evening News, with a sell-on clause also included in the deal.
Fourth major signing this summer
Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos have already joined United this summer for a combined total of £85m, but manager Michael Carrick has always wanted a third player. United first enquired about Baleba last summer, only to be put off by Brighton's £100m asking price for the Cameroon international.
A much lower-key 2025/26 campaign has seen his value decrease and United have moved to secure his services, having already agreed personal terms. He will travel up to Manchester this weekend and become their fourth major signing this summer, after Tielemans, Santos and Karl Darlow.
Injury and manager comments
Baleba will have to wait for his United debut, however, after picking up an ankle ligament injury during Brighton's 0-0 draw against Tromso in their Conference League qualifier on Thursday.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler was asked about Baleba during his pre-match press conference on Friday. "He's a Brighton player. Like I said, I'll never comment on any rumours that are currently in the media, it's also something I definitely can't control," the German said. "A lot of things are written, I know about situations but again, in two days I have a very important game together with my team and with my staff. We want to have a good start in the Premier League season, that's the only focus we have at the moment."
Carrick has been vocal about the need for new arrivals in midfield this summer following the departure of Casemiro and the long-term injury suffered by Manuel Ugarte.
"I just think we're looking to strengthen the squad," he said when asked about Baleba ahead of their Premier League opener against Hull this weekend. "We're certainly working towards that, making the most of the situation that we have and trying to improve things and trying to move forward. You know, I said the same thing to you last time. So yeah, certainly trying to make the most of the opportunities to finish the window stronger than we went into it. And I think we're in a good way to doing that so far."
