United have set their sights on Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, who is rumoured to carry a hefty £100million price tag by the Seagulls, who are keen to secure a nine-figure sum to part ways with the gifted 21-year-old. The Red Devils are also reportedly considering a move for PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who confirmed his bitter departure from the French champions on Wednesday after being sidelined by Luis Enrique for the UEFA Super Cup, reports the Mirror.
Donnarumma may end up at City, but United have also been linked with other high-profile transfers, including Emiliano Martinez and Adam Wharton. The potential new signings were a hot topic on the return of The Overlap’s Rest is Football podcast, where Keane questioned United’s possible additional spending. “If United were to get him [Donnarumma] and there’s talk of Baleba from Brighton which I can’t believe,” began Gary Neville.
After Keane queried how United would find the funds for Donnarumma and Baleba, Jamie Carragher chimed in: “I thought they were going bankrupt. They were months away from going bust weren’t they?”
While Keane acknowledged that United’s unimpressive midfield will gain some relief thanks to the new forwards’ ability to press high up the pitch, it remains a challenge for Amorim. The ex-United captain explained: “There’s slightly less pressure on their midfield, don’t get me wrong, but that will be the problem that’ll still hold them back over the next year or two unless they bring in players.
“But they have to start somewhere. They weren’t going to bring seven or eight players.” When Neville questioned whether he thought they could secure a move for Baleba, Keane highlighted one key reason why a transfer won’t come to fruition.
“I’d be surprised if it happens,” he stated. “I still think he’s got to do a bit more. It’s still potential. You can’t pay £100m for a player that you don’t know where it’s going to go.” Amorim’s new-look attacking line-up will face an instant examination as the Red Devils’ season gets underway on Sunday when they host Arsenal.