Manchester United have agreed a deal worth up to £70m to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, with the Cameroon international expected to undergo a medical at Old Trafford this weekend.
The agreement was reached between the clubs on Friday evening, allowing Baleba to move closer to completing his transfer. United will pay an initial £65m, with a further £5m potentially due in add-ons. Brighton have also secured a sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
The 22-year-old has been identified by United as a further addition to their midfield after the club brought in Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa earlier in the 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 unavailable after suffering an ankle injury during Brighton’s pre-season training camp in Austria.
If the transfer is completed, United’s spending during the current transfer window will rise to £153m. The fee also represents a significant reduction on the amount Brighton were seeking as the 2025 transfer deadline approached.
Baleba’s move will conclude Manchester United’s efforts to strengthen their midfield following the departure of veteran Brazil international Casemiro, whose contract expired.
Manuel Ugarte had also been expected to leave Old Trafford this summer, but those plans have been complicated by a serious knee injury suffered while he was on World Cup duty with Uruguay.
Baleba is a left-footed player who has occasionally played at left-back, meaning his arrival could also give head coach Michael Carrick another option in that position. United must now decide whether to continue looking for a specialist left-back to provide competition for Luke Shaw.
Regular right-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have both been used on the left, and their versatility may provide the cover Carrick requires. Baleba’s ability to operate there could offer another solution, although his primary role is in midfield.
The Cameroon international is expected to add athleticism to Carrick’s team, while his strong desire to move to Manchester helped accelerate negotiations between the two clubs.
United will also have England international Kobbie Mainoo available for Saturday’s lunchtime Premier League trip to newly promoted Hull City. Alongside Mainoo, Santos and Tielemans, Baleba would give Carrick greater depth and physical presence in central midfield once he has recovered from his ankle problem.
The transfer represents Brighton’s latest major sale and gives United another high-profile addition as they continue to reshape their squad during the summer window.
