Manchester United are edging closer to securing the signature of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, with talks between the two clubs ongoing despite a gap in valuations.

United first attempted to land the Cameroon international near the transfer deadline last summer, only to be deterred by Brighton's asking price, which exceeded £100 million. The fee has since dropped considerably, prompting United to return to the table after their pursuit of Matheus Fernandes this summer came to nothing.

United's opening bid of £60 million remains short of what Brighton consider fair value, but negotiations have not broken down and discussions are continuing.

Midfield reinforcements already underway

United have already moved to strengthen their engine room this summer, bringing in Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £48 million and Youri Tielemans, who arrived from Aston Villa in July for £35 million.

Mason Mount had been performing well alongside Santos in the first three pre-season matches, but the England midfielder has since been sidelined with a foot injury sustained against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on 8 August, with no clear return date yet.

Baleba's fitness a concern

Baleba's own availability is also uncertain. The Cameroonian suffered an ankle ligament injury during pre-season and is not expected to be fit for another two to three weeks.

The 21-year-old was a regular fixture for Brighton last season, making 35 appearances and operating primarily as a defensive midfielder — though he did accumulate seven yellow cards across the campaign.

Meanwhile, manager Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton squad travel to Norway on Wednesday ahead of their UEFA Conference League play-off first-leg fixture against Tromso on Thursday.