Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion have organised new talks in order to close the Carlos Baleba transfer deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Red Devils are on the verge of signing the powerful midfielder in a £65m deal after previously trying to lure him to Old Trafford one year ago.

Baleba’s arrival at the club once a deal has been agreed and contracts penned will complete United’s new-look midfield for the 2026/27 season and beyond for Michael Carrick.

A key area of the pitch that needed addressing with Casemiro moving on, the club moved quickly in July to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.

Still requiring an experienced player who can sit deeper and also make a big impact in the Champions League, Manchester United finally look set to get their man in Baleba.

The 22-year-old has earned rave reviews since moving to Brighton from Lille in 2023, becoming a major force in their midfield with his strength and ability to win the ball and carry it forward.

Speaking on Give Me Sport’s Market Madness podcast, transfer expert Romano provided the latest on Baleba’s move to Old Trafford and stated that the deal will be done in “a matter of hours”.

“I think there is a very good chance to see Man United signing more players,” explained Romano.

“The player has been pushing for this deal. It’s been almost one year, August 25, when he already said yes to Man United. He never wanted to consider any other option in England and abroad, as he wants to go to Man United. So on player side there is no issue and it’s going to happen soon.”

Carrick’s dream midfield

via Reuters

Carrick is going to have options galore in midfield this season once Baleba joins Santos and Tielemans as United players.

Prior to the head coach’s arrival at the club, midfield was a real issue under former boss Ruben Amorim but a change in management saw the Red Devils get more joy there, with Kobbie Mainoo one player to flourish following Carrick’s arrival.

The summer additions may see Mainoo drop down to the bench, though, with Baleba to take on the holding role in midfield and allowing those ahead of him to do what they do best.

Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes will join the Cameroon international in midfield, thus giving United an extremely strong midfield trio as they look to push for major honours this campaign.

Santos, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte are then further options available to Carrick as he tries to attack four competitions and bring silverware back to The Theatre of Dreams.

Carrick’s dream midfield: Tielemans, Baleba, Fernandes.

For months now, Max Verstappen‘s future at Red Bull has hung on a knife-edge, with the four-time world champion’s next move shrouded in uncertainty.

The Dutchman has been at the centre of intense speculation, with potential moves to Mercedes and McLaren discussed extensively, but walking away from the sport altogether was not out of the question either.

Yet, despite the uncertainty regarding his future at Red Bull and in F1 entirely, it seems that we have finally been given our answer to where Verstappen will be spending the next years of his career.

After months of conjecture, rumours, and every F1 fan having their say on where Verstappen will move to, the Dutchman has chosen to bring the speculation to an emphatic closure as he has chosen to extend his stay with Red Bull till 2030, extending his stay with the Milton Keynes outfit after previously being contracted until 2028.

Max Verstappen Commits His Future to Red Bull

Bruna Casas via Reuters

One question floating around the F1 community this morning is why Verstappen has chosen to commit his future to his current team amid months of speculation and interest from other sides.

His previous deal contained clauses that could have allowed him to depart Red Bull at the end of the current season, making his decision to extend his stay all the more significant.

The exact terms of his new deal remain unclear, including whether similar exit clauses have been included.

But while a new contract with arguably the greatest F1 driver in the world has given Red Bull a ginormous boost, it is clear that the side that has fostered the likes of Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel – another driver who won four successive World Championships – is on a downward spiral.

With the Dutch Grand Prix taking place this Sunday, it presents Verstappen and Red Bull with an opportunity to remind the rest of the grid of their prowess and reignite a campaign that has so far fallen short of expectations.

Speaking about his new contract, Verstappen explained the importance of the people around him and the bond he has developed with the team, as well as revealing the real reason why he chose to stay put.

“We have the best people, and I’m excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again,” said Verstappen. “This remains the ultimate goal that all of us have been working towards and will continue to pursue.

Verstappen’s Belief in Red Bull

Had Verstappen been offered a new deal a few months prior, this saga may have unfolded very differently.

The Dutchman has found renewed belief in the team’s direction since Laurent Mekies replaced the polarising Christian Horner as team principal last July.

Verstappen’s late-season charge last year came under Mekies’ stewardship, while the new Red Bull boss has seemingly given the driver further confidence in the project’s long-term ambitions.

“To continue this journey with the same team that I have been with my whole career is really special and something I have always wanted to do,” Verstappen added: “Getting to work with Laurent now for over a year has also been great. I see a clear vision he has for the team.

Mekies also paid tribute to the Dutchman, praising his four World Championships and talking about his importance to the team.

“Very few partnerships in sport achieve what Max and this team have,” he said. “Since the very beginning, Max has embodied everything that makes Oracle Red Bull Racing special: uncompromising competitiveness, relentless determination, and the courage to challenge convention. His impact on our team and on Red Bull’s motorsport story has been transformational, and he has been fundamental to everything we have accomplished together.”

After months of speculation, Verstappen’s future is no longer shrouded in uncertainty. The question breaching the lips of every F1 fan now is, do Red Bull have what it takes to return to the summit?

A Champions League winner, still only 30 years old, has been spotted this week making his debut for a ninth-tier side, marking a drastic fall from grace. The defender in question retired from the beautiful game just three months ago but, with an itch too strong to ignore, is back playing for a shock new club.

It’s a sad story because, while he is still relatively young – especially for this generation of footballer – he announced that he was bringing his playing career to an end back in May due to a third serious knee injury of his career, having previously ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament twice.

But playing at a much lower level could help rejuvenate the player, who now appears to be playing for the love of the sport rather than for money. At his new club, he now plays as a midfielder, and it would seem he’s having a blast – even if his debut came at the cost of defeat.

Ex-Champions League Winner, 30, Makes Debut With Shock Ninth-Tier Side

Wolfgang Rattay via Reuters

Former Borussia Dortmund defender Niklas Sule has returned to football, as the ex-Germany international made his debut for SV Tiefenbach in the midfield, rather than the centre-back role Bundesliga fans were used to seeing him deployed in. Sule, who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020, marked his first appearance for the club with a goal.

However, his maiden goal for the club was not enough to prevent them from a 7-2 drubbing at the hands of SG Kirchardt in the opening weekend of their district league. Watch some footage of his performance below:

“I think he’s enjoying it more playing a bit more offensively now,’ his new coach, Jason Walzel, told Badische Neueste Nachrichten, as per the Daily Mail. “He was there on Saturday and then again on Thursday and Friday. I don’t think it was planned that he would one day actually play in the Kreisliga. The boys are happy; he’s a great guy.”

How Niklas Sule Reflected on Ending his Career Early

Andreas Gebert via Reuters

Sule decided his time in topflight football was up when he believed he had torn his ACL for the third time in his 13-year professional career.

He went down with what looked like a serious knee problem during Dortmund’s 3-2 Bundesliga victory over Heidenheim in February, and following tests with the doctor in the dressing room he “really thought it’s torn.”

However, he escaped another ACL tear and, in that moment, decided that when his Dortmund contract expired, that would be that for his time performing at the highest level. Speaking to the ‘Spielmacher’ podcast, he explained:

He added: “I couldn’t imagine anything worse than looking forward to life – being independent, going on holiday, spending time with my children – only to then have to come to terms with my third cruciate ligament tear.”

Sule was capped a total of 49 times for Germany, scoring once. He now lives far remoevd from the glare of European football, but has found a way to keep playing with a smile on his face.