Manchester United havjin88bejin88bet.onet.onjin88bet.oneee agreed a jin88bet.onejin88bet.onejin88bet.onedeal worth up to £70m to sign Brighton midfielder Carljin88bet.onejin88bet.onejin88bet.onejin88bet.oneos Baleba, with the Camejin88bet.oneroon international expected to undergo a medical at Old Trafford this weekend.
The agreement was reached between theak168app.babyak168app.babyak168app.baby clubs on Friday evak168app.babyak168app.babyak168app.babyak168app.babyak168app.babyening, allowing Baleba to move closer to cak168app.babyak168app.babyak168app.babyompleting his transfer. United will pay an initial £65m, with a further £5m potentially due in add-onak168app.clubak168app.clubak168app.clubs. Brighton have also secured a selak168app.clubl-onak168app.clubak168app.clubak168app.club clause as part of the agreement.
The 22-year-old has been identified byak168app.club Unitak168app.clubak168app.clubed as a further addition to their midfield after the clubak168app.club brought in ks168app.siteks168app.siteks168app.siteks168app.siteks168app.siteAndrey Santos from Chelsea and Yks168app.siteouri Tielemans from Aks168app.siteston Villa earlier in theks168app.siteks168app.site summer.
Baleba joined Brighton from Lille in 2023 and has since established himself as an important player for the Premier League club. However, he is currently unks168app.siteic88avks168app.siteic88ic88aiic88ic88lable after suffering an ankle inic88jic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ury during Brighton’s pre-season training camp in Austria.
If the transfer is completed, United’s spending during the current transic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88fer window will rise to £153mic88ic88. ic88The fee also represents a significant reductionic88 on the amount Brighton were seeking as the 20ic8825 transfer deadline approached.
Baleba’s move will coic88ic88ic88ic88ic88ic88nclude Manchester United’s efforts to ic88strengthen their midfield foic88llowing the departure of veteran Brazil international Casemiro, wic88ic88ic88lr88ic88ic88ic88lr88lr88lr88ic88ic88lr88lr88lr88lr88ic88hose contract expiredlr88lr88lr88.
Manuel Ugarte had also been expected to leave Old Trafford thislr88 summer, but those plans have been complicated by a serious knee injury suffered while he was on World Cup duty with Ulr88lr88ruguay.
Baleba is a left-footed playelr88lr88lr88lr88r who has occasionally played at left-back, meaning his arrival could also give helr88lr88lr88lr88lr88lr88lr88ad coach Michael Carrick another option in that position. United must now decide whether to continue lookinglr88lr88lr88lr88lr88 for a specialist left-back to provide competition for Luke Shaw.
Regular right-backs Diogolr88lr88lr88lr88 Dalot and Noop88lr88lr88lr88op88ussair Mazraoui have both beeop88n used on the left, and their verop88op88satility may provide the coop88ver Carrick requires. Baleba’s ability to operate there could offer anlr88other solution, although hisop88 primary role is iop88n midfield.
The Cameroon international is expected to add athleticism to Carrick’s team, while his strong desire to si88si88op88op88move to Manchester helpesi88si8si888op88si88si88d accelerate negotiations between the two clubs.
United si88willsi88si8888vs88vi88 also have England international Kobbie Mainoo available for Saturday’s lunchtime Premier League trip to newly promoted Hull City. Alon88v88vgside Mainoo, Santos and Tieleman88v88v88vs, Baleba would give Carrick grea88v88vter depth and physical presence in centra88vl midfield once he has recovered from88v his ankle problem.
The transfer represents Brighton’s latSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNest major sale and gives United another high-profile addition as thSEXXXXX-VNey coSSEXXXXX-VNESEXXXXX-VNXXXXX-VNntinue to reshape their sSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNquad during tSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNSEXXXXX-VNhe summer window.
