Manchester United confirmed in late August 2026 the signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion, in a deal worth up to £70 million (£65m guaranteed plus £5m in add-ons).
The 22-year-old Cameroonian defensive midfielder signs a five-year contract with the option of a further year. He becomes the fourth Cameroonian player in history to wear the Manchester United shirt, after Eric Djemba-Djemba (2003), André Onana (2023) and Bryan Mbeumo (2025).
The move is part of a summer midfield overhaul at the Red Devils, who have also brought in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in recent months. United are banking on a young, physical, technical profile to stabilize a midfield weakened since Casemiro's departure.
Developed in part at EFBC (Élite Football des Brasseries du Cameroun), Baleba illustrates Cameroonian academies' ability to produce players capable of succeeding at the top level in Europe — FIFA's solidarity mechanism, which redistributes a share of transfer fees to training clubs, should in principle benefit his original academy.
For Cameroon, the signing boosts the visibility of its talents in the Premier League, where Mbeumo and now Baleba play for the same club — a first for two Indomitable Lions on Manchester United's books at once.
The player will now have to establish himself in a far more demanding Premier League than the one he knew at Brighton, under the pressure of a transfer that makes him one of the most expensive signings in Cameroonian football history.
