Manchester United are 'closing in' on a deal for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba as their midfield rebuild continues.
The Red Devils have already signed Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos from Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively. But boss Michael Carrick remained keen on a third addition.
Bid and Talks
According to The Athletic, United are close to agreeing a deal to sign Brighton star Baleba, having made a £60m bid for the Cameroonian, with £5m worth of add-ons.
That is expected to fall below the Seagulls' valuation, albeit amicable talks remain ongoing between the two clubs, with an agreement expected to be found.
Long-term Interest
United are thought to be long-term admirers of Baleba, having also eyed him last summer.
Speaking about the Red Devils' interest last season, Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said: “I don’t think Baleba was a saga.
“There was interest from Manchester United, and we said that he wasn't available this summer and they went away. So we've had many bigger sagas in the past. But Carlos Baleba, his improvement has been immense. Massively important player to this football club, and just delighted that he's with us for this season.”
Bloom's Comments
“We always try and make sure that the players coming in, maybe players we've brought in previous seasons, can help with that situation,” he added.
“But that's true of almost every club. The best players, unless you're potentially Man City, Liverpool, Madrid, PSG, almost every club's best players do get sold. And it's up to us to make sure that we are prepared as much as we can. We can't always get the timing right, but we are as prepared as much as we can be to make sure that, at the start of every season, we have a really, really competitive squad.”
There will be more to follow on this breaking news story.
