Manchester United Transfer News: How Brighton star Baleba can boost Red Devils midfield

Manchester United’s midfield revamp is gathering pace, with Carlos Baleba closing in on a switch to Old Trafford.

The Brighton star is reportedly on the verge of joining Michael Carrick’s outfit for a package worth over £65 million, as negotiations on a final price continue between the two clubs.

If an appropriate fee can be agreed then Baleba will link up with fellow new arrivals Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) and Andrey Santos (Chelsea), after the duo joined for a combined £83 million earlier this summer.

But how will the club’s new midfielders combine as a unit – and what will Baleba bring to United’s engine room?

Here’s how the Red Devils’ pending addition can make an impact in M16…

Healthy competition

Manchester United’s midfield has been a significant weakness for some time, but Carrick’s squad now looks stacked with quality in the centre of the park.

Baleba would join a set of players that includes the aforementioned Tielemans and Santos, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes and the currently injured Manuel Ugarte.

Carrick has primarily set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation since taking charge back in January, with star man Fernandes operating in the centre of the attacking midfield three.

That leaves two slots in the double pivot, which could potentially be filled by any of five players once Brighton’s No.17 arrives in Manchester.

In reality, Mainoo, Tielemans and Santos are probably at the front of the queue, with the latter two likely to start in Saturday’s season opener against newly-promoted Hull City.

Adding Baleba into the mix provides some healthy competition and a welcome selection headache, while his unique skill set could see him immediately push for a starting berth in the right circumstances.

Defensive acumen

There has been longstanding interest in Baleba from Manchester United, dating back to at least last summer.

However, the prospect of a move to the North West appeared to have a negative impact on his displays in 2025/26, as the 22-year-old’s performance levels dipped below that of previous campaigns.

On the one hand that drop-off has been to United’s benefit as they are now in a position to negotiate a lower fee with the Seagulls – but it clearly raises some doubts that wouldn’t be there with a player in form.

It also means it is better to look at Premier League data from the 2024/25 season, to see a truer reflection of what the Cameroon international could bring to Old Trafford.

Brighton finished a commendable eighth place in the table that year, as Baleba consistently broke up opposition attacks with aplomb.

Only ten players across the entire division made more interceptions than his 46, while he also made a notably-high 79 tackles during the campaign.

And if we focus exclusively on central areas, the Douala native ranked fifth for possession regains in the middle third of the pitch with a sizeable total of 107.

With those numbers, you could be forgiven for thinking that Baleba is a player who simply sits deep and mops up in front of the defence, but his heat map suggests quite the opposite.

He covered plenty of ground in the centre of the park last season, for example, making defensive actions in attacking midfield areas as well as deeper positions.

That will be linked to Fabian Hürzeler’s high pressing approach, of course, but nonetheless demonstrates a level of mobility and energy that should stand him in good stead at an elite club.

Neat and tidy

Baleba typically featured on the right side of a two-man midfield last season, despite predominantly being left-footed.

The 15-cap international was dynamic without the ball, but was somewhat more cautious in possession – preferring to lay the ball off to the team’s more creative players than conjure an opportunity of his own.

This is reflected in the fact that he didn’t score or assist in 1662 league minutes during 2025/26, though he did register four goal contributions (three goals and an assist) in the previous campaign.

His primary role when it came to progressing play was to receive the ball from one of Brighton’s centre-backs or another central midfielder, before bringing the team’s more forward-thinking players into the action – often laying it off to their wide men or full backs.

That potentially makes Baleba a more useful option in games when United are less dominant, rather than those requiring all midfielders to contribute a degree of attacking creativity – or when the Red Devils are holding onto a lead.

With that in mind, it feels likely that he may begin life at Old Trafford as a substitute or a rotation option when Carrick chooses a ‘horses for courses’ approach.

There could be another use for Baleba off the bench, too, with his left-footed nature potentially allowing him to feature as an emergency left-back.

United will hope to strengthen in that area before the transfer window closes, but there is certainly no harm in exploring how far the former Lille star’s versatility can extend.

Even ignoring that possibility, the 5ft 10in midfielder can be a useful tool for Carrick to deploy, in a central unit that looks ready to drive United up the table when 2026/27 gets underway.

And at just 22 years old, there is plenty of room for improvement under the tutelage of a coach who excelled in Baleba’s position during his playing days.