Man United complete $89M signing of Baleba

JUST IN: Manchester United complete the £65m ($89m) signing of midfielder Carlos Baleba from Brighton on a five-year deal.

Manchester United just paid sixty five million pounds for Carlos Baleba. That's eighty nine million dollars for a twenty two year old midfielder from Brighton, on a five year deal with an option for a sixth.

Here's the bit I like. Brighton quoted United more than a hundred million for the same player last summer. United walked away, waited a year, and saved thirty five million. Patience, apparently, is a transfer strategy.

Baleba's played ninety two Premier League games since arriving from Lille, and you can see him here in the Brighton stripes he's leaving behind. He calls United the club of his dreams and says Michael Carrick is the perfect coach to take him to the top. He joins a completely rebuilt midfield alongside Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

The pundits are already asking whether midfield was even the problem. Steve Nicol thinks Carrick's real job is fixing that defence. Sixty five million says the rebuild starts in the middle anyway.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.