Manchester United Near £65m Deal for Carlos Baleba
Manchester United have struck an agreement worth an initial £65m for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, with the 22-year-old due in Manchester this weekend for a medical.
If all goes to plan, Baleba will become the third new midfielder to walk through the door this window under Michael Carrick, and the clearest statement yet of how ruthlessly the manager is reshaping the core of his side.
Carrick’s new engine room
United have not been shopping for squad fillers. They have been building a spine.
Baleba, a natural No 6, is set to join Youri Tielemans, a No 8, and Andrey Santos, another holding midfielder who can sit deep and dictate. Three signings, three players for the middle of the pitch, three different profiles to tilt games United’s way.
The numbers underline the commitment. Tielemans arrived for £35m. Santos cost an initial £48m, with a possible £2m in add-ons. Baleba comes in at £65m before a potential extra £5m. Even without those bonuses, the deal makes him United’s most expensive buy of the summer and takes their guaranteed outlay to £148m.
Inside the club, there is quiet satisfaction. United tried and failed to land the Cameroon midfielder last summer, when Brighton were holding out for a figure closer to the £115m they banked from Chelsea for Moisés Caicedo in 2023. This time, United have their man at a price they regard as smart business, both financially and in football terms.
Carrick now has what he has been missing: a midfield enforcer to anchor the project.
“The foundation of the team”
Carrick has been open about where he believes a team truly lives or dies.
“I think it gives you the foundation of the team, you know,” he said recently, before the Baleba agreement was sealed. “I think the foundation of the team is important to be consistent, to be consistent through one game from start to finish, to be consistent over a period of time.
“You need a solid foundation through the middle of the team and trying and putting it together and getting that balance. But certainly, I think if you look at all the top teams over the years, all the great teams over the years, the spine of the team is really strong, you know.
“So we’re conscious of that, and I think we’ve got a good spine of the team right now. We can keep improving as we go in different ways and coaching and helping the boys and developing them, and I think we’re in a good place.”
Those words now read like a blueprint. Tielemans to knit play and arrive late in the box. Santos to shield, recycle and grow into the role. Baleba to patrol, break up attacks and set the tempo from deep.
United wanted presence. They are paying big money to get it.
The medical this weekend should confirm the final piece of Carrick’s summer midfield rebuild. The question now is simple: with a new spine in place, how high can this team climb?
