Manchester United has reached an agreement with Brighton to sign 22-year-old midfielder Carlos Baleba for a fee of up to 70 million pounds ($95.50 million). The deal consists of an initial 65 million pounds plus 5 million pounds in potential add-ons, making Baleba the club's most expensive signing of the summer. As part of the agreement, Brighton has also negotiated a sell-on clause.
Baleba, who moved from Lille to Brighton in 2023, is scheduled to have his medical in Manchester this weekend. He is currently sidelined with an ankle injury that he sustained during preseason training in Austria.
The signing is part of a midfield rebuild under manager Michael Carrick following the departure of Casemiro and a serious knee injury suffered by Manuel Ugarte. Baleba, a No 6, will be the third midfielder added to the squad this window, joining No 8 Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and holding player Andrey Santos from Chelsea.