Roy Keane hits the nail on the head with Carlos Baleba Manchester United transfer verdict

Roy Keane hits the nail on the head with Carlos Baleba Manchester United transfer verdict

The latest Manchester United transfer news and opinion has seen Roy Keane give his verdict on Carlos Baleba Old Trafford links

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has had his say on the club's reported transfer interest in Carlos Baleba.

It's been a pretty good transfer window for Manchester United, on paper at the very least. This weekend's clash with Arsenal will be the first real acid test of Ruben Amorim's new look attack, having signed Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.

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Despite spending around £200million to bring the trio to Old Trafford, there are still a few positions that need strengthening. Carlos Baleba of Brighton has been repeatedly linked with a move to United, which will bolster Amorim's options in midfield.

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The club are missing a holding midfield player who can protect the defence and cut out counter attacks and opposition transitions. Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte are the current players who fit that mould, but both have struggled in recent seasons.

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However, Brighton have slapped a reported £100m price tag on the Cameroonian for his services this summer. There's no doubt the 21-year-old has made a positive impression since arriving at the Seagulls in August 2023.

Baleba has made 77 appearances for Brighton, scoring four goals, though only 61 of those appearances have been in the Premier League. United legend Keane has questioned whether it would be right for the club to spend such an eye-watering fee.

Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba (Image: Getty Images)

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Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Keane said: "I'd be surprised if it happened. Because I still think that kid, he's got to do a bit more.

"You're talking about £100m, but I still think it's potential with a lot of these players. You can't pay £100m for a player where you don't know which way he's going to go."

There's no doubting that Baleba is a quality player and you need only look at Moises Caicedo's transfer from Brighton to Chelsea to see how well a transfer could pan out. Could being the operative word.

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There's no doubting that Baleba is a quality player, and you need only look at Moises Caicedo's transfer from Brighton to Chelsea to see how well a transfer could pan out. 'Could' being the operative word.

As we've seen throughout recent history, clubs are left to measure up whether potential and current ability are near the player's ceiling and their future market value. £100million for someone who has made just 66 English top-flight appearances is ludicrous money, and it's something United themselves have fallen foul of in the past.

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Take Antony, for example, who arrived from Ajax for £82 million in 2022, one year older than Baleba but struggled to make an impact at United. However, it's worth caveating that the Cameroon international has experience in the top flight and will hopefully only get better.

The midfielder's current contract expires in August 2028, and United don't have the luxury of spending millions of pounds on a player who may not hit the levels expected of him. Of course, on the other side of the coin, this is the way modern football is going.

At some point in the future – and it's ridiculous to say - £100million for Baleba may be viewed as a bargain, but that in itself is a silly statement given that as time on his contract dwindles, so too will his market value. There are other cheaper alternatives, and as Brighton have shown with the purchase of Baleba in the first place, these young talents are out there and can adapt in the right environments.

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United was once able to hoover up all the young talents, like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, yet now, their transfer tactic is focusing on the here and now. Keane is right to baulk at such a fee.

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