The games injured Carlos Baleba will miss as Man Utd close in on £65m transfer

Baleba is currently recovering from an ankle ligament injury (Picture: Getty Images Europe)

Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton but an injury will delay his start to life at Old Trafford if the deal goes through.

United initially made a move for the Cameroon international last summer but shelved their interest due to Brighton’s huge asking price – thought to be in excess of £100million.

He has remained on the club’s radar during their midfield rebuild this summer and has now agreed terms over a five-year deal to take him to Manchester.

As a result of his form dipping last season, Brighton’s asking price has dropped considerably with United’s latest offer worth around £60m plus £5m in add-ons.

Should the deal go through, he will become United’s third midfield signing of the summer alongside Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

But an injury suffered in pre-season could see him ruled out until the end of September.

Baleba returned for pre-season training in July but picked up an ankle ligament injury that ruled him out of a friendly match against Strasbourg. He subsequently missed the Seagulls’ games against Roma and Bologna.

Baleba played against United on the final day of last season (Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

It was reported last month that the injury left him a major doubt for the start of the new Premier League season which gets underway this weekend. Brighton were however hopeful the problem was not a long-term one.

The Daily Mail report Baleba is expected to return to fitness towards the end of September.

That timeline could delay any possible United debut until October given the three-week international break which begins on Monday 21 September, ending on Tuesday 6 October.

Should that timeline be accurate, Baleba would be set to miss United’s opening five games of the new Premier League season against Hull City, Ipswich Town, Everton, Manchester City and Fulham.

He would also miss United’s first match back in the Champions League which will take place on 8, 9, or 10 September.

Baleba would also sit out of United’s Carabao Cup third round tie against an opponent to be determined.

Baleba could therefore be in line to make his debut at home to Tottenham on 10 October.

Baleba enjoyed a superb 2024-25 campaign at the AMEX but following United’s interest in his services last summer, his form noticably dipped last term, starting just 23 of their 38 league matches.

Speaking last season, Brighton head coach, Fabian Hurzeler, admitted that United’s failed move to sign Baleba had an impact on the midfielder’s performances.