MAN UTD AGREE £70 CARLOS BALEBA DEAL WITH BRIGHTON AS MIDFIELDER GOES FOR MEDICAL

AFP

Manchester United have taken a massive step toward completing their summer rebuild after reaching an agreement with Brighton & Hove Albion for Carlos Baleba. The highly-rated midfielder is now expected to travel for a medical as Michael Carrick looks to bolster his engine room following a series of high-profile departures and injuries.

Red Devils land primary midfield target

According to The Athletic, Manchester United have successfully negotiated a deal for Brighton star Baleba, with the total package for the Cameroon international set to reach £70 million. The two Premier League clubs reached a definitive breakthrough in talks after weeks of speculation surrounding the 22-year-old's future, with United paying a guaranteed fixed fee of £65m alongside £5m in add-ons. The midfielder is expected to travel tonight ahead of a scheduled medical on Saturday.

Manchester United continue to stay active in the summer transfer window as they prepare for their return to the Champions League. The Red Devils have already bolstered Carrick's squad with the acquisitions of Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, and goalkeeper Karl Darlow from Leeds United.

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Addressing a crisis in the engine room

The pursuit of Baleba comes at a pivotal moment for United, whose central midfield options have been thinned by summer departures and key injuries. With Casemiro departing on a free transfer and Manuel Ugarte sidelined by a ligament injury suffered at the World Cup, reinforcing the middle of the pitch became a top priority for the club's recruitment team.

Despite the excitement surrounding his arrival, Baleba is working his way back to full fitness after a pre-season setback. The Cameroon international is currently sidelined with an ankle ligament injury sustained during the summer break, which kept him out of Brighton's goalless draw against Tromso in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier on Thursday.

Data-driven pursuit yields results

United's interest in the former Lille midfielder is far from a sudden development, with the club's recruitment team keeping close tabs on his progress for several seasons. Old Trafford scouts monitored Baleba extensively throughout the 2025-26 campaign, having already explored a potential deal for the Cameroonian last summer.

Baleba's ascent to the upper echelons of English football has been swift since arriving from Ligue 1. After joining Brighton from Lille in the summer of 2023, the midfielder made 112 appearances for the Seagulls, though he was limited to 23 Premier League starts last season.

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Brighton's summer exodus continues

Baleba will become the latest high-profile departure from Brighton this summer, following the exits of Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham Hotspur, Danny Welbeck to Chelsea, and Diego Coppola to Paris FC.

Brighton kick off their new Premier League campaign by hosting Aston Villa on Sunday, while Manchester United travel to face newly-promoted Hull City tomorrow, Saturday.

- Khaled Mahmoud

'THIS IS BIG BOY STUFF' - ROY KEANE AND MICAH RICHARDS HAVE FURIOUS ROW IN STUDIO ABOUT MAN UNITED PLAYER

Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir prompted a huge clash between Roy Keane and Micah Richards after the Red Devils' loss to Arsenal.

The Red Devils were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon in their Premier League 2025/26 season opener, with Bayindir left culpable for the winning goal.

Bayindir had a moment to forget for Arsenal's winner against United on SundayCredit: Getty

His error sparked a heated debate between Keane and Richards at full timeCredit: Sky Sports

Stand-in goalkeeper Bayindir was surprisingly named in the starting line-up by Ruben Amorim in place of Andre Onana.

The Cameroon international had not been expected to feature due to a hamstring injury suffered last month.

However, Amorim confirmed prior to the match that he had been available for the fixture.

His decision to start Bayindir instead backfired just 13 minutes in as the Gunners took the lead through Riccardo Calafiori.

A corner from Declan Rice caught the keeper off guard as the ball dropped under the crossbar with Bayindir only able to flap at it.

Surrounded by players from both sides, Bayindir was only able to palm the ball onto the head of Calafiori with the Italian nodding home from a yard out.

Following the match, Keane and Richards were involved in a heated debate about the goal in the Sky Sports studio.

The pundits failed to see eye-to-eye on the United keeper's decision-making for the goal.

As Richards attempted to explain his stance that Bayindir needed more protection from the Arsenal players by his teammates, Keane fumed: "Micah, this is big boy stuff."

He continued: "There's going to be mismatches. If they've got a lot more players bigger than you're leads, then you're going to be outmatched somewhere."

Bayindir was unable to claw away a Rice corner as Calafiori scored the winning goalCredit: Getty

Richards hit back by arguing: "But not in the centre (of the goal)."

Keane replied: "That's the goalkeeper, you can't babysit a goalkeeper."

His fellow pundit did agree on Bayindir's fault in the goal, though, admitting: "I agree with you that the goalkeeper should definitely do better.

"But I also believe he should be protected a lot more."

Why did Onana not play?

Amorim had been asked about his selection choice between the sticks prior to the match.

With Onana only returning to training days before the fixture, he opted against playing his first-choice goalkeeper despite him being available.

Meanwhile, veteran Tom Heaton was included on the substitutes bench ahead of him.

The Portuguese explained: "We try to choose the best players for each game, so next week is a different life.

"This week, we chose these players. No (he is not injured), he’s recovered but the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that."

Onana has not played for United since their post-season friendly against the ASEAN All-Stars in May.

Meanwhile, Bayindir made four pre-season appearances for the Red Devils.

Amorim's side are next in action away to Fulham next Sunday before a trip to Grimsby in the Carabao Cup on August 27.

- Ciaran Wiseman