Fabrizio Romano reveals €50m star feels pushed out after Man Utd hold agent talks
Fabrizio Romano claims that Alejandro Balde is not being made to feel particularly wanted at Barcelona amid links with Manchester United.
Balde has been a regular for Barcelona for several seasons now, with the club valuing him so highly in late 2023 that they inserted a €1billion (£856m) buyout clause into his five-year deal.
There were signs his importance at the Catalan outfit was waning a tad last year, with Eric Garcia sometimes preferred to the 22-year-old.
And following the summer arrival of experienced Portugal campaigner Joao Cancelo, the Spain international’s game time this season is likely to be more limited.
Over in the Premier League, Man Utd are frantically searching for a new left-back, with TEAMtalk revealing that Newcastle United star Lewis Hall is their top target.
Their mooted £70m price tag may put off the Red Devils, however, and that has led them to get in contact with the intermediaries of other players.
Luke Shaw struggled in Man Utd‘s 2-0 loss to Hull City in their Premier League opener, heightening the need to strengthen at left-back for the season ahead.
Indeed, before that game, Michael Carrick made it clear that more reinforcements are needed.
DON’T MISS: Man Utd: INEOS eyeing Ismaila Sarr as Galatasaray push for Crystal Palace breakthrough
He said this week, “We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that. Money’s money, I get that. We feel like we have to be pushing for everything we’re involved in, while being realistic of what the recent history’s looked like over a period of time.
“For now, we’ve got to make the most of it, but we’ve got to push every boundary we can to be able to win again, basically. That’s the challenge.”
On Sunday, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Balde was among a contingent of Barcelona players who had been left out of the matchday squad to take on Elche in Spanish top-flight action.
Balde exit from Barcelona ‘not guaranteed’
Now, the transfer journalist has issued a new update, stating Balde wants to stay at Barcelona, but he gets the impression the club are “pushing him out”. This comes after Man Utd contacted his agent this week about a possible move.
He said on his YouTube channel on Sunday, “If you ask me, is Balde 100% leaving? It’s still not 100% guaranteed because Balde is happy at Barcelona. Balde would like to stay, compete for a place; Balde is not asking to go.
“Balde feels Barcelona are trying to find a solution for him, which is different from the story saying Balde is pushing to leave Barcelona. He has not.
“He has a feeling the club is pushing him out. At the same time, Manchester United called to understand the situation but at the moment it depends on the price and it’s still not guaranteed in terms of pricing.”
Reports suggest Balde could cost €50m (£42.8m) but as Romano says, a set price is seemingly yet to be determined. However, it would seem unlikely he would cost as much as Hall.
WHAT NEXT? Man Utd: Aston Villa ‘call’ for plan B signing if record-breaking transfer falls through – Fabrizio Romano
