Man United pursue £70m Baleba as Hull defeat piles pressure on summer rebuild

Manchester United are set to complete a £70 million signing of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba as the club scrambles to reinforce its squad following a 2-0 defeat at Hull City on the opening day of the Premier League season.

The loss to the newly promoted side was United’s first opening-fixture defeat to a promoted team, and it immediately intensified scrutiny on a summer transfer window that has so far delivered Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos — both of whom struggled on their debuts at the MKM Stadium.

Baleba, a Cameroon international, is described as an imminent arrival and is expected to address the midfield concerns that were laid bare in the Hull defeat. The 21-year-old made 30 Premier League appearances for Brighton last season and is regarded as one of the more dynamic defensive midfielders in the division.

Left-back is another position under the spotlight. Luke Shaw has less than a year remaining on his current contract, and United have been linked with Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall as potential solutions. However, sources suggest neither deal is considered realistic before the window shuts on September 1.

Manager Michael Carrick is under early pressure to arrest the slide, with a home fixture against Ipswich Town next Sunday already being framed as a must-win. The club’s hierarchy is said to be working behind the scenes to push through further additions before the deadline, with the Baleba deal the most advanced of those currently in progress.

Whether United can complete the business they need in the remaining days of the window will go a long way to defining the tone of what is already a fraught early campaign.