Manchester United Submit £65m Package for Brighton Midfielder Carlos Baleba

Manchester United have submitted an opening offer for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba as talks continue over a potential transfer, BBC Sport reported on Wednesday. The proposal is worth £60 million up front with a further £5 million in add-ons, but the report says it is not expected to be enough to secure an immediate agreement.

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Baleba has made 112 appearances for Brighton since arriving from Lille for £23.2 million in August 2023. United also explored a move for the Cameroon international a year ago, according to the BBC, before stepping back after learning that Brighton’s asking price would exceed £100 million.

The renewed approach forms part of a wider reconstruction of United’s midfield under manager Michael Carrick. The club signed Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa last month, completing the two deals within 24 hours of each other. Baleba is now the subject of the first confirmed offer in United’s search for another midfielder.

United entered the summer knowing Casemiro would leave when his contract expired on June 30. Bruno Fernandes had moved into a more advanced role after Ruben Amorim’s departure, while BBC Sport reported that Manuel Ugarte was not highly rated despite his £50.8 million transfer fee. That left Kobbie Mainoo as the only experienced midfielder expected to have a prominent role before the new arrivals.

Baleba is currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained during preseason and is expected to remain unavailable for another couple of weeks. His ability to cover ground quickly is viewed as a different option alongside Mainoo, Santos and Tielemans, giving Carrick a broader range of midfield profiles if the clubs reach an agreement.

BBC Sport said United had also considered or monitored several alternatives during the search, including Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni, Bournemouth pair Alex Scott and Tyler Adams, Roma’s Manu Kone and Fulham’s Sander Berge. Talks with Brighton are continuing, but no completed transfer or final fee has been announced. Any move therefore remains subject to the clubs reaching terms and Baleba completing the usual transfer process.