Manchester United are reportedly set to spend £110million on Brighton duo Carlos Baleba and Ferdi Kadioglu. A £70m agreement has already been reached for Baleba to become Michael Carrick's third midfield arrival, with a left-back now the priority and Kadioglu the likely target.
Kadioglu's Brighton spell
Brighton paid £25m to sign Kadioglu from Fenerbahce in August 2024, but injuries limited him to just 887 minutes in his debut campaign. During the 2025/26 season, however, the Turkish defender made 42 appearances in all competitions and established himself as the club's first-choice left-back.
It was therefore a surprise to see him absent from the Seagulls squad that beat Aston Villa over the weekend, with the club claiming he missed out due to a minor injury. Having played 87 minutes against Norwegian side Tromso in a Conference League play-off just days earlier, it was certainly feasible that he had picked up a problem.
Talks over £50m deal
Just 24 hours later, it was being reported in his home country that United were set to sign him from Brighton for £40m. It has since been claimed via Sussex World, citing reports in Turkey, that talks have started over a £50m deal.
The likelihood of the switch going through only increased when reports emerged the following day that left-back Jaouen Hadjam was set to join Brighton from Swiss club Young Boys. Some clarity on the situation could arrive later this week as Fabian Hurzeler has a press conference before the return leg against Tromso.
United's weekend struggles
Having qualified for the Champions League, United have a free midweek, which will be needed after their defeat to Hull City on Saturday. Carrick's side were comfortably beaten by the Premier League newcomers and face another potentially unknown task in Ipswich Town this weekend, who beat Sunderland in their first match back after a season in the Championship.
AS Marca in Turkey claim that United have set their sights on Kadioglu, adding that 10 per cent of any transfer fee is due to his former club Fenerbahce. United will be hoping at the very least that Baleba is through the door ahead of that game, with Kadioglu also possibly set to sign soon.
The midfield pivot of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans largely struggled, which could see Kobbie Mainoo return to the starting XI. The front four is largely expected to remain the same given Benjamin Sesko is unlikely to be match fit just yet and due to Amad's training injury.
