Manchester United have completed the signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton.
The Cameroon midfielder will move for an initial £65m, plus a further £5m in add-ons. Brighton are also understood to retain a sell-on clause.
Baleba underwent a medical on Saturday, with transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reporting on Sunday morning that all relevant documents have been exchanged and signed between the two clubs. He added that the deal is now "100 per cent confirmed", with an official announcement to follow soon. Baleba will put pen to paper on a five-year contract running until the summer of 2031.
United fans will have to wait to see Baleba in action, as he is currently nursing an ankle ligament injury sustained during Brighton's pre-season friendly win over Strasbourg earlier this month. The issue was expected to keep him out for the first few weeks of the season, meaning he would not have played in the Seagulls' Premier League opener at home to Aston Villa on Sunday regardless of the deal.
Liverpool transfer target Yankuba Minteh is also sidelined after surgery on his right leg, with fitness not expected until October or possibly November. Baleba's debut under Michael Carrick could come around mid-September.
After upcoming games against Ipswich and Everton, United, who fell to a shock 2-0 loss at newly-promoted Hull on opening day, host Manchester City in the first derby of the season at Old Trafford on September 13, then travel to Fulham on September 20. An extended three-week international break follows, before they resume top-flight action at home to Tottenham on October 10.
Baleba will be United's third new midfielder signed this summer, following the £50m addition of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and the £35m deal with Aston Villa for Youri Tielemans. Both started against Hull on Saturday.
Midfield additions were necessary after Casemiro left at the end of his contract in July, while Manuel Ugarte faces months on the sidelines after surgery on a serious knee injury suffered at the World Cup with Uruguay.
Baleba becomes the club's fourth first-team arrival of the window overall, with Wales goalkeeper Karl Darlow having also joined on a free transfer following his exit from Leeds. He is a long-term target for United, who initially wanted to sign Bryan Mbeumo's international team-mate last summer but were said to have been quoted a much larger fee in excess of £100m.
