If recent reports are to believed, then Manchester United are facing a tough competition from Serie A giants AC Milan who have set their sights on their long-term target, Keita Balde. Reportedly, the Italian side are willing to offer the Senegal international a whopping £1.87m a year to join them this summer.
The left winger has been on the target list for many top European sides and he has continued his impressive form this season too. He has been instrumental in Lazio’s successful campaign this year and the club will find it extremely difficult to hold onto him beyond this season.
United are in the market for numerous targets this summer after they are done with their disappointing season. And one of the major reinforcements that manager, Jose Mourinho, would look over is their attack. Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic has held the scoring tally steady throughout the season, it has mostly been solo efforts as he has found little to no service from the wings.
Mourinho has the likes of Anthony Martial and Jese Lingard to play there, and while they have been impressive in patches, Mourinho hasn’t found that superior quality that could terrorise defence like Cristiano Ronaldo, or Nani or Carlos Tevez had once brought to the side.
While Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been at his prolific best whenever he was fit to start, his injury-prone season has further added to the woes. United had to sell one of their huge investments, Memphis Depay, last winter, which they are yet to get a replacement for. And Keita could be an ideal fit to it.
If there were any doubts about his abilities, the 22-year-old erased all that with a brilliant hat-trick in Lazio’s last game against Palermo. The Biancocelesti are in a real chance of playing in Champions League next season and Keita has been at the centre to it.
And to their misfortune, the club is unlikely to be able to cling on to their star player even after gaining a European stature. The player is yet to pen a contract with it coming to closure in 2018. The club won’t risk holding on to their prized asset this year and let him go for free later.
And his rift with the club authorities did little on the club’s part in maintaining a cordial relationship. Keita had a tumultuous start to the season when the club refused his request to leave last summer. He decided not to turn in the side’s pre-season campaign that led to huge controversy.
Now that Milan has spiked up the wage offer, the next move rests with United. Lazio are reportedly ready to pay him around £1.25m-a-year in the recent offer kept on the table.
