Alejandro Balde decides to leave Barcelona

With a week remaining in the 2026 summer transfer window, Manchester United have some big decisions to make.

One of those is how they support Luke Shaw in the left-back department.

Following Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle’s claim that Michael Carrick and United have “no chance” of landing target Lewis Hall this summer, it’s clear the club need to look elsewhere.

One player United have reportedly gone in for is Alejandro Balde.

The 22-year-old left-back was left out of Barcelona’s first matchday squad of the season against Elche, despite wanting to remain at the club and fight for his place.

It appears talks over the last couple of days have changed things.

Spanish outlet MARCA now reports that Barcelona boss Hansi Flick’s decision to leave Balde out of the squad for the match against Elche was his final straw. He also saw that Xavi Espart, who started at the Martínez Valero, could be ahead of him in the pecking order in the Blaugrana’s ranks.

After several conversations in recent hours, MARCA report that Alejandro Balde has decided to leave Barcelona this summer.

Both Jorge Mendes, the player’s agent, and Barcelona have begun the search to find their player a brand new club. MARCA write: “Balde is a sought-after player, but with the transfer window closing in a week, most clubs have already finalized their squads. This means some doors have closed.”

The outlet claims that Manchester United remain frontrunners, but only want a loan for Balde this summer. This could be a potential stumbling block, as Barcelona want a sale.

With Barcelona hoping to cash in and Manchester United potentially seeing Alejandro Balde as a cheap option this summer, a deal between the two clubs could take longer to agree.

Amid reports of an offer from Portuguese club Benfica, a late deal could be the way Manchester United secure this signing.