Although the club have shown notable interest in the Brighton midfielder previously, Manchester United are now officially on the verge of finalising a deal for Carlos Baleba.
The deal is expected to be north of £60 million, with a five-year deal waiting to be penned, pending a medical.
Baleba will be the club’s third addition after Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans in the hopes of strengthening their midfield after the loss of Casemiro at the end of last season.
A youngster with the ‘world at his feet’
“A year ago, Carlos Baleba appeared to have the world at his feet,” Sky Sports’ William Bitibiri said in an analysis of the pending transfer.
“A breakout season at Brighton had established the then-21-year-old as one of the Premier League’s most coveted young midfielders, with a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs seemingly inevitable.
“Manchester United were among those interested, having identified Baleba as a potential transformative presence in midfield.
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Too large an evaluation
“But Brighton’s reported £100m-plus valuation proved a stumbling block,” Bitibiri continued.
“The move never materialised and Baleba stayed at the Amex.
“His form subsequently dipped dramatically. His numbers fell and, at times, he looked a shadow of the midfielder who had generated so much excitement the previous season.
“That makes Man United‘s interest a gamble. But, stylistically, there are few midfielders better suited to what they need.”
Baleba’s value to Man United
Although the hype surrounding the transfer has dropped dramatically since last season, Baleba’s defensive security offers boss Michael Carrick plenty of wiggle room to assess his best combination in the middle of the park.
Should Baleba sit at the base ahead of Man United’s back four, that would free up Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes to create more goalscoring opportunities further up the pitch.
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