Featured Image Credit: Getty / Rio Ferdinand
Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, Premier League, Transfers, Brighton And Hove Albion, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, Premier League, Transfers, Brighton And Hove Albion, Football
Rio Ferdinand has sent Manchester United fans into meltdown after posting about reported transfer target Carlos Baleba.
United have contacted fellow Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion over the possibility of signing Baleba, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein and indykaila.
It is claimed that Ruben Amorim's side are considering an offer worth an initial £90 million plus £10 million in add-ons for the Cameroon international midfielder.
The 21-year-old was signed in the summer of 2023 as a replacement for Moises Caicedo and has quickly become one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the English top flight.
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Fabrizio Romano claims that Baleba is Amorim's 'dream midfield target', though there is an acceptance from United that a deal will be difficult to achieve in the time that remains in this window.
But Ferdinand's tweet has got United fans excited again.
Taking to Twitter following reports of the club's interest in the midfielder, Ferdinand simply posted: "Who's a Baleba???"
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The United legend has repeatedly urged his former club to sign Baleba on his YouTube podcast, making his comment on the 21-year-old potentially significant.
It's also a reference to the 2001 Smash Mouth hit 'I'm A Believer' - with Ferdinand certainly fitting that title when it comes to Baleba.
Speaking on his podcast, 'Rio Ferdinand Presents', last month, Ferdinand explained why he believes it is imperative that United get a deal over the line for Baleba.
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"Watch his clips, man... they know [modern midfielders] how to press high, that's part of the game now. It's the ones behind enabling them to go, and not look back," he said.
"Baleba, his biggest thing, for me, is to be able to transfer the ball from the backline, our back area, through to the eights and the 10s. Either driving with it, or getting it and playing. That's what we don't have - ball progression. Just stop the transitions."