Manchester United table bid for Carlos Baleba as midfield rebuild continues

Manchester United have made a £60m bid for Carlos Baleba as they look to make the Brighton player their third midfield signing of the summer. They are yet to agree a deal, with Brighton thought to want a higher price for the Cameroon international, but talks are progressing. United’s offer, which could rise by £5m, means they have resurrected their interest in Baleba, a player they first targeted last summer. Brighton then valued the 22-year-old at over £100m, but were also reluctant to sell, but Baleba’s price has dropped after a difficult year. United have turned back to him after missing out on two midfielders they liked, with Mateus Fernandes instead joining Tottenham from West Ham and Elliot Anderson moving to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest. They had also agreed to sign Ederson from Atalanta before a medical revealed concerns and the deal for the Brazil international fell through. While Baleba is currently out after an ankle problem, it is not thought to keep him out for long or to be enough of an issue to prevent a transfer from going through. United have bought two midfielders in this transfer window , with Andrey Santos joining from Chelsea for £48m and Youri Tielemans arriving from Aston Villa for £35m. But they have lost Casemiro while Manuel Ugarte is sidelined and Mason Mount has missed their last two-pre-season friendlies.