Man Utd given huge Alejandro Balde transfer boost as Barcelona greenlight triple exit
Manchester United may have been given a boost in their bid to sign a left-back as Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has been left out of their 2026-27 opener in La Liga.
All the pre-season positivity at Man Utd evaporated on Saturday when they fell to a 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City, as their new Premier League campaign got off to a stinker.
Michael Carrick’s backline of Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven, Harry Maguire, and Noussair Mazraoui never looked particularly comfortable as first-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy secured all three points at MKM Stadium.
While one result should not spark panic stations at Old Trafford, Man Utd fans are right to be concerned that they still need more quality signings before the summer window shuts.
INEOS have been chasing Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall for much of the summer but the 21-year-old still remains at St James’ Park.
TEAMtalk previously revealed that the former Chelsea youngster is keen on a move to Man Utd but after selling Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, and Anthony Gordon this summer, the Magpies do not want to lose another asset.
We understand that it would take around £70million or so to secure Hall’s services – which would be a world record fee for that position.
Considering Man Utd have rarely gone above that figure in recent years, it seems that sum may prove a bridge too far for the Red Devils.
That is why, among other reasons, different targets are being assessed, such as Barcelona left-back Balde.
Barcelona ready to move on from Man Utd target Balde
Earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano stated that the 22-year-old wanted to stay at Barca and fight for his place, despite the arrival of Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo.
“So the only way to see Balde leaving Barcelona between now and the end of the season is if it’s Barca telling Balde ‘okay, we need to sell you, we want to sell you’. That’s the only way,” he said.
“Man Utd are informed on the conditions and as of today, they’ve not returned with any official bid.”
Balde is said to be valued at around €50m (£43m) and now, it seems the Catalan outfit are ready to move on from the Spain international, whose contract expires in 2022. The fact that they are willing to offload him will certainly make a sale more feasible.
Barcelona begin their league season away at Elche on Sunday night and Romano claims that Balde, midfielder Marc Casado and right-back Hector Fort are not in Hansi Flick’s matchday squad.
He adds they will all have a chance to leave the club before the end of the summer window. Ergo, perhaps Man Utd can solve their left-back problems with a Balde move.
