Manchester United have signed midfielder, Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion for £70m.
Baleba’s move has ended his three-year stay at Brighton across which he produced four goals and two assists in 112 total appearances across all competitions.
The 22-year-old’s departure also came after a year-long pursuit from United who saw previous bids rejected until Brighton accepted a £70m offer, which comprised of a £65m fixed fee plus £5m in add-ons.
In his first interview as an Utd player, Baleba spoke of his pride at the switch and working with manager, Michael Carrick.
“It is an incredible feeling to join the club of my dreams. Playing at Old Trafford is always special but the opportunity to do so as a Manchester United player will be a real honour.
“I cannot wait to work with Michael Carrick; his experience and knowledge of the game make him the perfect coach to help me to reach the highest level.
“The ambition of everyone at the club is extremely clear, the future is hugely exciting, and I am determined to play my part in delivering the success that we are capable of together.”
Brighton’s Sporting Director, Mike Cave meanwhile thanked Baleba for his contributions to the Seagulls’ last two seasons and believes that he can go on into a more “outstanding” midfielder than his current level as he left the AMEX Stadium.
“Carlos has made a significant contribution during his time with us and we’ve seen him develop both as a player and person here.
“When Carlos arrived he was a young player with huge potential and, through his own hard work and commitment together with the support of our coaches and staff, he has developed into an outstanding Premier League midfielder.
“This is a move that Carlos was keen to make and we respect that he wants to take this opportunity at this stage of his career. We would like to thank him for everything he has done during his time at Brighton and wish him every success in the next chapter of his journey.”
Baleba began his career with Futur Soccer FC then EF Brasseries du Cameroun, before he joined Lille in January 2022 where he went on to score one goal in nine appearances for their B-team in the 2021-22 season.
He then made four further appearances for the B-team in the 2022-23 season amidst 21 senior appearances for the first team, having been an unused substitute during the end of the previous season before he eventually made his first team debut in August 2022 in a 4-1 Ligue 1 win over Auxerre.
Two further first-team appearances followed at the start of the 2023-24 season to bring his number of outings as a Lille first-team player to 23, before he joined Brighton in late August 2023.
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