Man Utd on brink of Carlos Baleba deal with Brighton after making £65million transfer offer

MANCHESTER UNITED are closing in on a deal for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. Old Trafford’s Ineos board has offered a £65million package including £5m in add-ons, falling short of Brighton’s £100m valuation from last summer. Carlos Baleba is close to joining Manchester United Credit: Getty The midfielder has been a long-term target Credit: Alamy But United are primed to hand Baleba, 22, a five-year deal and medical plans will be scheduled quickly. Chiefs have been in regular contact with chiefs at the Amex Stadium since last July, but talks went quiet over the past few months. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! Play Dream Team this season! £100,000 in prize money up for grabs in 2026/27 Free to enter Play in Mini Leagues against your mates £60,000 jackpot for the overall winner £1,000 prize for winning Gameweek 1 PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW! Baleba, 22, has been keen to join United since the Red Devils first showed interest last summer. The Cameroon international is sidelined with an ankle ligament injury picked up in pre-season training. United are desperate for midfield reinforcements to bolster the unit after the £35m arrival of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos’ £48m move from Chelsea. United triggered Tielemans’ release clause after scrapping a £35m deal for Atalanta’s Brazilian midfielder Ederson over knee concerns flagged across two medicals. Should a move for Baleba progress he would join Tielemans, Santos, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes as first-team options for boss Michael Carrick. Manuel Ugarte is sidelined for at least the next nine months after undergoing knee surgery following his World Cup injury against Spain, while Mason Mount has also missed the final two games of pre-season. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Baleba joined Brighton from Lille in the summer of 2023 and has played 112 times for the south-coast club. The central midfielder’s form dropped off last season amid interest from United. He made just 23 Premier League starts and recorded zero goal contributions in 35 appearances. But Baleba still played his part in Brighton bagging Conference League qualification. United are still in the market for a left-back with Luke Shaw entering the final year of his deal. Harry Amass, 19, has also been put up for sale ahead of the transfer deadline. 1 comment1