Man Utd tipped to bid £50m for Premier League star after ‘agreeing personal terms’

Manchester United will be on the lookout for central midfielders in the summer, but one target now appears to be firmly within reach for the Reds

Manchester United are weighing up a £50million offer for Carlos Baleba. The Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder has been touted for a switch to Old Trafford for the best part of a year.

Ruben Amorim was thought to be firmly interested in the Cameroonian midfielder, but following the club’s outlay of more than £200million on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, they opted to put their pursuit on hold. However, with Casemiro departing at the end of the season and Manuel Ugarte failing to fully convince, United appear ready to reignite their interest in Baleba.

It’s understood the Reds ‘broadly agreed personal terms’ with the 22-year-old during their initial pursuit. With this in mind, they could test Brighton’s resolve with a £50m offer.

The Athletic understands that’s the figure United may open their approach with. It hasn’t been the smoothest of campaigns for Baleba. He has been hauled off on 15 occasions this season by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, lasting the full 90 minutes on just three occasions throughout the campaign, including their recent 3-0 home triumph over Chelsea on Tuesday.

United also closely monitored his performances at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, where he featured five times. He proved a key figure for Cameroon, who advanced to the quarter-finals before suffering a 2-0 defeat to hosts Morocco. One potential stumbling block for United is the asking price.