A third midfielder, and the priciest yet
Manchester United confirmed the arrival of Carlos Baleba this afternoon. The 22-year-old Cameroon midfielder leaves Brighton for around 70 million pounds, or close to 82 million euros. The club said he has signed through June 2031, with an option for another year, subject to registration.
He is United’s third midfield signing this summer. Andrey Santos arrived from Chelsea, with Youri Tielemans coming in from Aston Villa, taking spending past 100 million euros already. Casemiro’s exit opened up a hole, and clearly the club’s hierarchy did not think the job was done after those two deals.
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Three years to change his standing
Baleba’s rise says plenty about how fast a player can become serious money in England. He left Lille in August 2023 with just 23 senior appearances under his belt. Brighton picked him up for a fee that looks tiny compared with today’s numbers. Three seasons later, he’s worth 82 million.
Down on the south coast, he was first thrown in by Roberto De Zerbi, then backed under Fabian Huerzeler. Big running, ball-winning, driving forward, his game ticked the right boxes. The numbers tell their own story: 112 appearances for the Seagulls, 6,552 minutes, four goals and two assists. He has also won 16 caps for Cameroon.
A deal that had been dragging on for a year
United had already tried to land him in the summer of 2025. Brighton wanted more than 100 million euros then and refused to budge. Twelve months on, the Red Devils have paid less for one of the continent’s most sought-after under-23 midfielders. A knee ligament scare at the start of August could have killed the move. It didn’t.
Baleba will get his first taste of the Champions League this season. The question now is how Manchester United piece together a midfield built around three new signings in the space of a few weeks.
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