Manchester United are close to signing Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba after submitting an initial offer of £60 million plus up to £5 million in add-ons, according to multiple sources [1, 2, 3, 4]. Talks are advanced but the offer remains below Brighton’s previous valuation.
Brighton valued Baleba at around £100 million last summer, which led Manchester United to drop their interest at the time. However, the player’s price has fallen due to uneven performances last season and current market conditions [1, 3, 4, 5].
Baleba, 22, joined Brighton from Lille in 2023 for £24 million. The defensive midfielder has made 92 Premier League appearances and is regarded as a dynamic, energetic box-to-box player, often seen as a like-for-like tactical replacement for Casemiro [4, 5, 2].
The midfielder suffered an ankle ligament injury during pre-season this August and is expected to be sidelined for another two to three weeks [1, 2, 4].
If the deal is completed, Baleba would be Manchester United’s third midfield signing this summer, following the arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £48 million and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35 million. The club has spent approximately £85 million on midfielders this transfer window alone [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Manchester United is also reportedly searching for a left-back to provide competition for Luke Shaw [3, 4].
The Premier League season opener for Manchester United is scheduled for August 22 against Hull City, potentially before Baleba makes his debut for the club [3, 4].
