Manchester United have offered Brighton about £60m plus £5m in add-ons for Carlos Baleba, David Ornstein reported on Wednesday. The Athletic says that number sits below Brighton's valuation, and that talks remain amicable while both clubs try to land on a fee.
The deal is not signed. United still open the Premier League season at Hull City on Saturday 22 August at 12:30. Baleba is working back from an ankle ligament injury that Ornstein does not treat as a long-term problem, or as a reason to stop the conversation.
What Brighton actually lose
Baleba joined Brighton from Lille in 2023 and has played 112 times for Fabian Hurzeler's side. Last season he made 35 appearances in all competitions, with several missed through the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell notes that United's chase last summer turned his head, and that his Brighton form took a hit. He was substituted in 15 Premier League games, including at half-time four times, and completed 90 minutes only three times. One of those was a 3-0 win over Chelsea. He started the next three, then came off the bench against United on the final day.
Brighton can still ask for a premium. Last summer, when his stock was high after two strong Premier League seasons, United would have gone to £75m and Brighton wanted more than £100m. United walked. Twelve months later they are trying to buy the same player for significantly less, with a 22-year-old Cameroon international who still covers ground, wins the ball, and can even fill in at left-back because he is left-footed.
That is why Brighton will not rubber-stamp the first number. Selling him now funds the next midfielder. Selling him cheap funds United.
What United need in football terms
Michael Carrick already signed Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea. BBC Sport's Simon Stone put Santos at £48m and said he started every pre-season game. A deal for Atalanta's Ederson was agreed, then dropped over knee concerns. United also wanted Elliot Anderson before he went to Manchester City for £116m.
The third midfielder is still the hole. Manuel Ugarte is out with the knee injury he suffered at the World Cup. Mason Mount missed United's last two friendlies. Carrick told broadcast media last Thursday that United "want more" and "need more," which Stone called as far as Carrick will go in public.
Baleba would sit with Tielemans, Santos, Kobbie Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes as first-team midfield options. United rate his ground coverage, possession-winning, and passing. They watched him for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations, five matches, alongside Bryan Mbeumo, and came away with a better view than the Brighton half-season.
Carrick qualified United for the Champions League last season. Stone's point after pre-season is that the hierarchy still owe him a left-back and a midfielder who can do a senior job, not another academy hope asked to cover both.
The risk if the fee is the whole story
The risk for United is buying a player whose best Premier League evidence is two seasons old, after a year in which substitutions became the pattern. The Athletic is honest about that dip. The same reporting says Cameroon restored him. That is a scouting bet, not a finished midfield.
The risk for Brighton is holding out for last year's £100m idea while the window runs to 1 September and Baleba's ankle keeps him out of the opening weekend. A player who cannot start at the Amex on Sunday is easier for United to negotiate over, and harder for Brighton to parade as irreplaceable.
If United pay up and Baleba's minutes stay patchy, Carrick has spent a third midfield fee on a player who still needs managing. If Brighton keep him and the form hole remains, they have won a negotiation and lost a season of certainty in the middle of the pitch.
What to watch before Saturday
Watch whether Ornstein's "closing in" becomes a medical and a contract before Hull. Watch Carrick's team sheet at the MKM Stadium for how he covers Ugarte and Mount without Baleba. Watch whether Brighton name Baleba in any matchday plans against Aston Villa on Sunday, which would tell you the ankle is a footnote rather than a lever.
If the fee is agreed this week, United's first league night still happens without him. The bid tells you Carrick's midfield is unfinished. Hull will tell you whether the current group can paper over that for 90 minutes.
Sources
- The Athletic: Manchester United and Brighton closing in on deal for Carlos Baleba (19 August 2026).
- BBC Sport: Transfer latest, Carrick pre-season notes (August 2026).
- Premier League: 2026/27 fixture schedule.