Baleba, Bouaddi complete Man Utd, City moves
Manchester United have signed Cameroon midfielder, Carlos Baleba, from Brighton in a £70m deal.
The Old Trafford club have paid an initial £65m, plus a potential £5m in add-ons, for the 22-year-old, while Brighton have negotiated a sell-on clause.
United targeted Baleba after deciding to strengthen their midfield further following the summer arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
Baleba has signed a five year-contract at Old Trafford, with the option to extend for a further year.
United reignited their interest after attempting to sign him last year near deadline day, but were put off by Brighton’s valuation, which was in excess of £100m.
Baleba, who joined Brighton from Lille in 2023, is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up during the Seagulls’ pre-season training camp in Austria.
He made 112 appearances for Brighton, scoring four times, and 31 in the Premier League last season as they finished eighth to qualify for this season’s Conference League.
Fellow city side, Manchester City, have been joined by 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi on a five-year contract, subject to international clearance, with City paying £81.4m upfront plus £4.2m in add-ons.
Enzo Maresca’s side moved to sign Bouaddi after selling central midfielders Rodri to Barcelona in a £65m deal and Tijjani Reinders to Al-Qadsiah for £52m.
He impressed at this summer’s World Cup, starting five of Morocco’s six matches in their run to the quarter-finals after becoming a key member of Lille’s side in Ligue 1.
Bouaddi made 96 appearances for Lille after making his debut in 2023, helping them finish third in Ligue 1 last season.
At the age of 16 he became the youngest footballer to ever play for the French side on his senior debut against Faroese club KI in the Europa League, before announcing himself on the world stage by playing a starring role in Lille’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid in 2024.
Bouaddi will form part of a revamped midfield, with City already bringing in England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m.
Bouaddi’s signing comes after Brazilian winger Savinho, now known as Savio, joined Tottenham in a £75m deal earlier this week.-BBC
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