Man United close in on £60m Baleba deal as Arsenal leave Lewis-Skelly door open

Manchester United are edging closer to signing Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba after submitting an initial £60 million offer, with a further £5 million in potential add-ons, as manager Michael Carrick pushes to complete a third midfield signing before the transfer window closes.

The Athletic reports that the two clubs are “closing in” on an agreement despite United’s bid falling short of Brighton’s asking price. Baleba, 22, has been a long-standing target at Old Trafford — United first pursued the Cameroon international last summer before reigniting their interest with a fresh approach this window.

Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos have already arrived at Old Trafford as part of Carrick’s midfield overhaul, with the United boss seeking to build on a squad that secured a Champions League place last season. Baleba would represent the third piece of that rebuild.

Elsewhere, Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick has stopped short of ruling out a sale of teenage prospect Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has been linked with a move to United as Carrick also looks to address the left-back position. It was recently reported that Arsenal had offered the 19-year-old — who can operate at left-back and in central midfield — to both United and Chelsea following Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival from Newcastle.

“There’s been a lot of speculation around players,” Garlick said when asked about Lewis-Skelly and fellow Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri. “I can’t stop other clubs being interested.”

“I think Myles has had a fantastic end to last season and has started this one really well — we’re very, very happy with him. We are not actively looking at selling those homegrown players but if the right opportunity came up — right for them and the club — we’d obviously consider that.”

Garlick’s comments represent a subtle but notable shift in tone, leaving the door ajar for a deal rather than issuing the outright rejection that would typically close down speculation. United’s need for a left-back, combined with Lewis-Skelly’s versatility, makes the teenager an attractive option as deadline day approaches.