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19 August 2026

Manchester United’s recruitment department had been relatively quiet over the past few weeks of the summer transfer window, something that had caused growing frustration among the club’s supporters.

That changed on Wednesday afternoon, when The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that United and Brighton & Hove Albion are edging towards an agreement for midfielder Carlos Baleba.

The two clubs have still not finalised a deal after United submitted an offer worth around £60 million plus £5 million in add-ons, but all parties are understood to be working towards completing a move that would take Baleba to Old Trafford.

Since INEOS took charge of football operations, Manchester United have shifted away from getting dragged into bidding wars or paying inflated fees for their main targets.

Instead, the Red Devils have acted swiftly and discreetly in pursuit of players they believe are sensibly priced and fully committed to joining their project. Moves for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans reflected that strategy, and the chase for Carlos Baleba appears to follow the same pattern.

Because of that approach, whenever progress is made behind the scenes, supporters, pundits, journalists and even members of the club staff are often caught off guard.

According to Sully, cited by UtdDistrict and regarded as a reliable source on Manchester United matters, Amazon’s cameras officially began rolling at Carrington this morning, a development that coincided with the latest update on Carlos Baleba.

It is understood that “nearly all” United staff were stunned by the news, with the exception of the recruitment team, who reportedly all had “a big smile on their faces.”

Baleba has been on Manchester United’s radar since last summer, with the club’s recruitment staff, who place significant emphasis on data, particularly impressed by the Cameroon international’s athleticism and ability to carry the ball.

The 22-year-old would provide much-needed energy and mobility to a United midfield packed with technical quality, while also complementing players such as Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Baleba had already made it clear to his representatives that Manchester United had been his only dream destination since last year.

The dynamic Cameroonian had even agreed personal terms with the Manchester club at that stage, and those terms are still valid for this summer.