Manchester United have been handed a potential boost in signing Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde this summer, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
The Red Devils presently have Luke Shaw as their undisputed left-back under manager Michael Carrick, but the club are open to pursuing a ‘dynamic‘ competitor with Patrick Dorgu viewed as a winger.
United were said to be ‘exploring a move‘ for Balde last month, and Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona are now ‘willing to listen to offers’ for the talented full-back.
Balde has been an undisputed starter for the Blaugrana in recent seasons. However, loan signing Joao Cancelo was regularly picked ahead of him for the big games earlier this year by manager Hansi Flick.
Barcelona are determined to keep Cancelo permanently and have not ruled out signing another experienced left-back, with Chelsea star Marc Cucurella being considered.
United have been closely monitoring Balde’s situation, and they could emerge as candidates to sign him. The La Masia graduate could be permitted to leave for around £43 million.
Balde’s injury record is a cause for concern
The 22-year-old has established himself as one of the best young left-backs in European football. His statistics were good last season. He completed 92 percent of his passes in La Liga.
Balde also won 60 percent of his duels with an average of three recoveries and one tackle. He mustered only three assists, but still caught the eye with his marauding overlapping runs from the left flank.
The Spaniard would be a perfect foil for Matheus Cunha on United’s left-hand side and could be seen as a long-term successor to Shaw, whose contract expires at the end of the 2026/27 season.
However, the big concern with him is his injury record. He missed 10 matches in the previous campaign due to two muscle injuries. It was a similar trend during the 2024/25 season (seven games).
Further back, Balde was sidelined for 23 matches in 2023/24 and 27 games in 2021/22. United have had to cope with Shaw’s countless injuries over the last 12 years and can ill-afford another repeat.
A deal won’t be difficult to pursue as United have a good relationship with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who represents Balde. He was key to bringing Manuel Ugarte and Leny Yoro to the club in 2024.
We still believe United should pass on the opportunity to sign Balde unless Barcelona provide a sizeable discount on the asking price or are prepared to sell him in a straight swap deal for Marcus Rashford. In that way, the transfer would carry a lower risk.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
