Carlos Baleba: Brighton sign teenage midfielder from Lille for 27m euros (£23.2m)
- Published
Teenager Carlos Baleba has signed a deal at Amex Stadium until June 2028
Brighton have signed Cameroon-born midfielder Carlos Baleba on a five-year deal for 27m euros (£23.2m) from French side Lille.
The 19-year-old only made his Lille debut 12 months ago but has forged an impressive reputation.
Baleba will fill the hole left by Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, who joined Chelsea from Brighton for a British record £115m.
Seagulls boss Roberto de Zerbi said: "He will be the future of the club."
Baleba made 19 league appearances for Lille last season.
He played two games in this campaign before being left on the bench for Lille's 4-1 defeat by Lorient on Sunday.
De Zerbi added: "Carlos is a very good player. He's very young but a specific player for our style."
Baleba made the move to Lille in January 2022 before making his first Ligue 1 start 12 months later.
He follows Bart Verbruggen, Joao Pedro, Mahmoud Dahoud, James Milner and Igor Julio in joining the Seagulls this summer.
Forward Pedro joined Brighton from Watford for just under £30m, while goalkeeper Verbruggen signed from Anderlecht for £16.3m and defender Igor moved from Fiorentina for £14.5m. Midfielders Milner and Dahoud were free transfers from Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
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