Man Utd ‘closing in on deal to sign Carlos Baleba’ as Ornstein reveals staggering £35m discount

Manchester United are working to finalise the signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton, with David Ornstein revealing that talks over the transfer are ongoing and that there is growing confidence that the Red Devils can sign the Cameroon midfielder for a fee well below last summer’s hefty £100m asking price.

The Red Devils have already secured two new midfielders this summer in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, who have arrived for a combined £85m.

But Michael Carrick had always made clear his desire to sign a third new player for his engine room this summer, as he looks to challenge for both the Premier League title and have a strong enough squad capable of going deep in the Champions League.

Baleba is a player who has been on INEOS’s radar for some 18 months, and Manchester United did hold talks with Brighton over a deal last summer.

At the time, though, the Seagulls’ demand for £100m was seen as too prohibitive for United, and they opted to walk away from a prospective deal.

However, it looks like patience is set to pay off with The Athletic reporter Ornstein dropping the bombshell update on Wednesday morning.

He posted on X: ‘EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United closing in on deal to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion.

‘MUFC offer for 22yo Cameroon midfielder ~£60+5m; below #BHAFC valuation but amicable talks continue as all parties work to reach agreement.’

More to follow…