Manchester United are on the verge of completing a significant reshaping of their midfield, with a deal in place to sign Brighton's Carlos Baleba for an initial £65m, potentially rising to £70m with add-ons. The 22-year-old Cameroon international is set to undergo a medical this weekend, though an ankle problem means his debut for the club will likely be delayed by several weeks.
Should the move go through, Baleba will become the third midfielder to join Michael Carrick's squad this summer, following the arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea for an initial £48m and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35m. Including goalkeeper Karl Darlow, Baleba would represent United's fourth signing of the window, and their costliest, pushing the club's total summer outlay north of £148m.
The pursuit of Baleba is not a new one for United, who had tried and failed to sign the holding midfielder last year when Brighton were said to be seeking a fee close to the £115m they received from Chelsea for Moisés Caicedo in 2023. Sources close to the negotiations suggest United are pleased with the terms now agreed, viewing it as good value both on the pitch and financially.
The trio of new arrivals reflects a deliberate strategy from Carrick, who spent 12 years and made 464 appearances as a United midfielder himself before retiring and eventually returning to Old Trafford as manager. Under his watch, the club has targeted a mix of profiles: Tielemans as a No 8 renowned for his passing range, Santos as a defensive-minded operator, and now Baleba as a specialist No 6 to add steel and ball-winning capability.
Notably, none of the newcomers are being cast as a direct like-for-like replacement for Casemiro, whose departure left a void in the engine room. United had also pursued other midfield targets over the summer without success — a £35m deal for Atalanta's Ederson collapsed after medical concerns over his knee, while moves for Aurelien Tchouameni, Mateus Fernandes and Elliot Anderson all fell away as rival clubs moved faster or spent more.
Carrick, speaking before the Baleba agreement was finalized, emphasized how central a settled midfield is to a team's identity and consistency.