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Manchester United have agreed a deal worth an initial £65m for Carlos Baleba and the Brighton midfielder will have his medical this weekend in Manchester.
If the 22-year-old is signed he will be the third midfielder added to Michael Carrick’s squad in the window. Baleba, a No 6, will join Youri Tielemans, a No 8, and Andrey Santos, who is also a holding player.
Even before a potential £5m in add-ons Baleba would be United’s most expensive buy of the summer as Tielemans cost £35m and Santos an initial £48m, with a possible £2m of extras. Baleba’s signing would take United’s total spend to £148m.
Privately, United are delighted with the deal after failing to land the Cameroon star last summer. Last year, Brighton were hoping for a price in the region of the £115m they received when they sold Moisés Caicedo to Chelsea in 2023 but Carrick now has his midfield enforcer in a deal which represents value on and off the pitch.
Speaking before the agreement was struck, Carrick outlined the importance of a functioning midfield. “I think it gives you the foundation of the team, you know. 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.”
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