Manchester United are confident of signing Brighton’s Carlos Baleba for less than £75m, and the 22-year-old midfielder has agreed personal terms. United have made an initial offer of £60m plus £5m add-ons for Baleba, which is below Brighton’s valuation.
Baleba has been a target for United since last summer, when Brighton valued him at about £100m. The Cameroon international’s price has dropped after his largely uneven performances last season. Baleba, who has an ankle injury, would be United’s third midfielder recruit of the summer, after Youri Tielemans, who was signed for £35m from Aston Villa, and Andrey Santos, who arrived for £48 from Chelsea.
Baleba, whose preference is to play as a No 6, would add dynamism and energy to United’s engine room, and compete with Santos for a starting berth.
United, whose opening Premier League fixture is at Hull on Saturday, remain in the market for a left-back. Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly are high on the list of candidates.
Meanwhile, Tijjani Reijnders has left Manchester City for Saudi club Al Qadsiah in a deal worth around €60m (£51m).
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The 28-year-old Dutch midfielder was signed from Milan last summer for €55m (£46.6m) and made 50 appearances for City. “I may be moving on but I will always have a special place in my heart for Manchester City,” said Reijnders