It was widely reported yesterday that Manchester United and Brighton reached an agreement on a £70 million (£65m + £5m in add-ons) package for Cameroonian midfielder Carlos Baleba. Common ground was found after Brighton & Hove Albion rejected United’s first bid for the 22-year-old.
According to numerous reports, Baleba had a United medical in Manchester booked on Saturday.
And according to Yahoo Sports (citing Roundtable) today, Baleba has already passed his United medical. That said, nothing is official until all the paperwork is finalized, so United manager Michael Carrick refused to answer a reporter’s question on this topic, when asked during a postgame media opportunity.
Understandable, given how Baleba would need to be officially announced by the club, or “unveiled” first. Also, United shockingly lost at newly promoted Hull City today, so that’s the lead story right now.
“I had all eyes on (the match vs Hull) today so any other player, until he’s ours, it’s not for me to comment on,” Carrick responded, to a reporter query on this topic.
Baleba is set to become the third major (read: big money) signing of the summer transfer window for United. All three signings have been in the midfield. The first two signings were Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea.
They also had a deal lined up with Atalanta for Ederson, but changed their mind and pulled out at the last minute.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.