After months and months of being mentioned as on his way out but with no clubs interested enough, Keita Baldé is now likely to have a few offers on the table, mostly because Jorge Mendes has been brought in.
Lazio, who have resigned themselves to losing the Senegalese international, have contacted the Portuguese agent, as was reported two days ago, and have now given him the green light to offer him around.
This, according to Il Tempo, means he is likely to offer the young forward to clubs where he has an influence first, and those are Monaco in France, Valencia in Spain, and, of course, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
A transfer to Old Trafford following this pattern wouldn’t be a first, as we all remember how the Bebé transfer came about, but at least, this time, we know who the player is and what he’s capable of.
Manchester United’s Ed Woodward is now likely to receive a phone call from Jorge Mendes, and we all know how that’s going to go: “Ed, listen to me, I have the deal of the century for you here…”
Lazio are expecting around €25m for the forward, despite his contract running out in 2018, but there’s an acceptance that this might go down if too many clubs turn their nose up at the asking price.
The Serie A club want to get rid of Baldé in order to fund a move for Ajax’s Anwar El Ghazi, who also happens to be a winger, and a player whom the Dutch club could be willing to let go at the right price.
This one isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, especially now that Mr Mendes is involved. Does that mean Manchester United can be persuaded? Probably not, but with Mendes nothing can be ruled out.
