Manchester United close in on transfer deal for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba | OneFootball

Manchester United are nearing an agreement to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba.

According to The Athletic, the Red Devils have submitted an opening offer of £60 million plus £5m in add-ons for the Cameroon international.

Brighton are prepared to hold out for a bigger fee for the 22-year-old, but talks are ongoing to reach an agreement.

United are long-time admirers of Baleba, who has been in England for three seasons now.

The Red Devils consider this to be the perfect time to sign the midfielder as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of a return to the Champions League.

They have signed Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans this summer. Casemiro has left the club and Manuel Ugarte sustained a season-ending knee injury.

The addition of a third midfielder became more important following Mason Mount’s injury in pre-season, which caused him to miss their last two games.

United have followed Baleba closely, and are prepared to sign him despite his ankle ligament injury.

He suffered the injury in pre-season earlier this month, and did not play in any of their friendlies.

Baleba is not expected to be confined to the sidelines for an extended period, but is a doubt for the start of the season.

United wish to add his powerful, box-to-box style to their squad, to go with Santos’ all-round ability and Tielemans’ neat passing.

They had been offered a chance to sign Arsenal man Myles Lewis-Skelly, but a move for Baleba seems to be their preferred option.