Manchester United are close to a full agreement for Baleba, a year after Brighton wanted £100m

Manchester United are close to a full agreement with Brighton for Carlos Baleba, the 22-year-old Cameroon midfielder they have been tracking since last autumn. The deal is expected to be worth in excess of £60m, and a five-year contract has already been drawn up for him to sign once the two clubs finish the last of the negotiation.

Sky Sports reported on Wednesday that the final fee and its structure are not yet settled, which is usually the last thing left in a deal of this size. Baleba is understood to be preparing to travel to Manchester, where a medical will be arranged quickly once the agreement is formally concluded.

A year ago this was a £100m conversation

The fee is the part worth sitting with. Twelve months ago Brighton were reported to value Baleba at more than £100m, and United, who had already identified him as the midfielder who could change their team, did not go near it. He stayed at the Amex.

The season that followed was not the one anyone expected. His form fell away sharply from the breakout year that had made him one of the most coveted young midfielders in the league, and his numbers went with it. He made 35 appearances and was away for a stretch of the campaign with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. In total he has played 112 times for Brighton since arriving from Lille in 2023.

The third midfielder of the summer

Baleba would be United’s third addition in that area of the pitch this window, after Andrey Santos arrived from Chelsea for £50m and Youri Tielemans came in from Aston Villa for £35m. A club that has already rebuilt its midfield twice this summer is now preparing to spend more on a third arrival than it did on either of the first two.

The case for doing it is about a specific job rather than a general upgrade. Santos and Tielemans were bought for what they do with the ball. What United have not had is someone who wins it back in deeper areas and then carries it out of trouble, and that is the profile Baleba fits when he is at his best. Whether he is still that player is the bet.

He cannot play yet

There is one more wrinkle. Baleba is recovering from an ankle ligament injury picked up during pre-season. It is not thought to be serious and it is not expected to sideline him for an extended period, but United would be paying £60m-plus for a player who is not available for the start of the season.

That start comes on Saturday, when Michael Carrick takes United to Hull City for a 12.30pm kick-off, 5pm IST, on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. The window then runs until 11pm UK time on Tuesday 1 September, which leaves both clubs just under a fortnight to turn a near-agreement into a signing.

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