Manchester United Nears £65m Carlos Baleba Deal as Carrick Revamps Midfield
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 through as expected, Baleba will become the third new midfielder through the door this window under Michael Carrick, and the most expensive of the lot.
Carrick’s new engine room
Carrick has been quietly – and now decisively – reshaping the core of his side.
Baleba, a specialist No 6, is set to anchor a revamped midfield that already includes Youri Tielemans, signed as a No 8 for £35m, and Andrey Santos, another holding option who arrived for an initial £48m with a possible £2m in add-ons.
Even before potential extras of £5m on Baleba’s deal, the Brighton man will stand as United’s priciest buy of the summer. His arrival would push the club’s overall outlay in this window to £148m.
Inside the club, there is a sense of satisfaction, even relief. 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, Carrick gets his midfield enforcer at a fee United believe reflects both footballing value and market sense.
Building the spine Carrick wants
Before the agreement was finalised, Carrick had already made clear where he believes games are won and seasons are shaped.
“I think it gives you the foundation of the team, you know,” he said when asked about his midfield. “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.”
Baleba’s signing would harden that spine further. A true No 6 to sit behind Tielemans’ craft and Santos’s versatility gives Carrick exactly what he has been sketching out: a midfield built to control matches, not just survive them.
The medical will confirm the final step. If there are no late twists, Carrick’s vision of a stronger, more ruthless core will soon be tested where it matters most – in the heart of the Premier League season.
