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Manchester United have taken another significant step towards completing the signing of long-term transfer target Carlos Baleba.

Manchester United are edging closer to a marquee move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, with personal terms now fully agreed ahead of a proposed switch to Old Trafford, according to Sky Sports.

The 22-year-old Cameroon international has, in principle, agreed to a five-year contract that would keep him at Old Trafford until the summer of 2031.

With personal terms now settled, the Manchester United hierarchy are understood to be working on the financial structure of a club-to-club agreement with Brighton.

The Red Devils have put forward a transfer package worth around £60 million, with a further £5 million in performance-related add-ons.

Although Brighton had initially been holding out for a higher fee, positive talks between the two Premier League clubs have moved a full agreement closer than at any previous stage.

Baleba has been on the Old Trafford club’s radar for well over a year and remains a long-standing target.

Manchester United first identified the tough-tackling midfielder as an ideal recruitment option last spring, before looking into the possibility of a mid-season move during the January transfer window.

Even though Brighton were strongly opposed to selling the player in the middle of the season, the club are believed to have kept lines of communication open behind the scenes, leaving them well prepared once formal talks resumed this summer.

The arrival of the former Lille player appears set to further strengthen a Manchester United midfield that has needed more physicality, mobility and defensive awareness.

Since joining the Amex Stadium in a high-profile move as the replacement for Moises Caicedo, Baleba has developed into one of the most complete young box-to-box midfielders in European football.

With the details of the five-year contract now agreed on the player’s side, the only remaining step is for the two clubs to settle on a transfer fee acceptable to all parties so the deal can be finalised.

If progress continues in the way Old Trafford executives are hoping, a medical could be scheduled in the coming days.