Baleba leads five key Cameroon moves from the 2026 summer transfer window

Carlos Baleba’s move to Manchester United is the standout transfer involving a Cameroon international this summer, while Nathan Ngoumou, Enzo Tchato, Junior Dina Ebimbe and Danny Namaso have also taken significant steps in their careers.

The five deals offer a mixture of high-profile progression, opportunities to rebuild and attempts to secure regular first-team football ahead of the next stage of the international calendar.

Baleba makes Manchester United move

Baleba established himself as a key player at Brighton, making 112 appearances across three seasons, including 31 Premier League matches last season. However, after Brighton finished eighth and the 22-year-old suffered a minor ankle injury during pre-season, he was ready for a new challenge.

Manchester United had tracked him since summer 2024 but had previously been deterred by Brighton’s £100m valuation. The deal was eventually completed for £65m plus £5m in bonuses.

Baleba has signed a contract at Old Trafford until 2031, with an option for a further year. It is the biggest transfer fee ever paid for a Cameroonian player.

He joins a Manchester United rebuild alongside Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, following Casemiro’s departure for Miami. The former Cameroon Under-23 international is expected to develop into a central figure for the Indomitable Lions.

Ngoumou given chance to revive career at Nice

Nathan Ngoumou’s move to Nice provides the winger with an opportunity to recover from a difficult spell at Monchengladbach.

On 6 April 2025, Ngoumou ruptured his Achilles tendon against St Pauli and missed the whole of the 2025-26 season. Although his contract ran until June 2027, competition for places meant his long-term prospects at the club had become uncertain.

Monchengladbach sporting director Rouven Schroder confirmed the club’s decision to move on, allowing Nice to sign the player on a free transfer, with bonuses and a sell-on percentage included in the agreement. Anderlecht and Auxerre had also shown interest.

The deal was completed on 17 August and brings Ngoumou back to Ligue 1 four years after he left Toulouse. He scored nine goals in 78 matches for Monchengladbach and is now building up playing time again, with the move also offering him a route back into Cameroon’s international plans before the Africa Cup of Nations.

Tchato leaves Montpellier after 17 years

Enzo Tchato ended a 17-year association with Montpellier to join Frosinone, who secured promotion to Serie A.

The 23-year-old made 29 appearances in Ligue 2 last season and had accumulated around 100 senior matches for Montpellier. With his contract approaching its end, the French club needed to sell.

Frosinone paid €800,000 on 25 August for the attacking full-back, who signed a four-year contract running until 2030 on improved terms. Blackburn had also shortlisted him, but the move to Italy prevailed.

Dina Ebimbe and Namaso seek regular football

Junior Dina Ebimbe returned to Germany with Schalke 04 after falling out of favour at Eintracht Frankfurt. Schalke, back in the Bundesliga, paid €1m up front, with a further €600,000 in bonuses and a 25% sell-on clause. The 25-year-old has signed until 2028 and is expected to operate as an energetic, versatile right wing-back.

Danny Namaso, meanwhile, left Porto for Auxerre on loan with an option to buy. Used mainly as a third-choice striker at Porto, he joins a club seeking a powerful forward to support its Ligue 1 survival effort.

For Namaso, who has long weighed England against Cameroon, the move is intended to provide regular starts and strengthen his claims for the Indomitable Lions.