Manchester United have signed Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba from Brighton in a £70m deal. The Old Trafford club have paid an initial £65m, plus a potential £5m in add-ons, for the 22-year-old, while Brighton have negotiated a sell-on clause. United targeted Baleba after deciding to strengthen their midfield further following the summer arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
Baleba has signed a five year-contract at Old Trafford, with the option to extend for a further year. "It is an incredible feeling to join the club of my dreams," he said. "Playing at Old Trafford is always special, but the opportunity to do so as a Manchester United player will be a real honour.
"I cannot wait to work with Michael Carrick. His experience and knowledge of the game make him the perfect coach to help me to reach the highest level. "The ambition of everyone at the club is extremely clear, the future is hugely exciting, and I am determined to play my part in delivering the success that we are capable of together." Baleba's move follows United's shock 2-0 defeat by Hull City in Saturday's Premier League opener, where Santos and Tielemans made their midfield debuts.
United reignited their interest after attempting to sign him last year near deadline day, but were put off by Brighton's valuation, which was in excess of £100m. Baleba, who joined Brighton from Lille in 2023, is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up during the Seagulls' pre-season training camp in Austria. He made 112 appearances for Brighton, scoring four times, and 31 in the Premier League last season as they finished eighth to qualify for this season's Conference League.
The move has taken United's summer spending up to £153m as they prepare for a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2023-24 campaign. What does your Premier League club still need in the transfer window? United will hope for the 2024-25 version of Baleba rather than last season's because it was his performances in that campaign that attracted them.
We can't know what would have happened if the approach for Mateus Fernandes had been successful, nor if Mason Mount had not suffered the injury in the pre-season game with Paris St-Germain two weeks ago that ruled him out of the Premier League opener. However, even before Saturday's disappointing loss at Hull it is clear that, despite adding Santos and Tielemans to their midfield ranks, they still lack physicality and power. In theory, Baleba should solve that issue.
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