RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Manchester United leading the race to sign struggling Barcelona defender
Barcelona’s summer of change shows no sign of slowing down, with another key player now edging towards the exit door.
After the departures of Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres, along with the imminent arrival of Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde has emerged as the latest name whose future is in doubt.
And it appears Manchester United are currently at the front of the queue for his signature.
United leading the race for Balde
Balde could be next player to leave Barcelona. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
According to MARCA , super-agent Jorge Mendes landed in Barcelona this week armed with a number of offers for both Balde and Marc Casado.
Mendes first met with Barcelona’s sporting director before sitting down with the players to lay out their options.
While Casado’s exit had been expected for some time, Balde’s situation was far less clear, until the full-back was left out of the squad for the match against Elche.
That omission suggested things were serious, and Balde now has three concrete offers on the table. Manchester United are said to be the frontrunners, though two other clubs are also keen on the Spain international.
For now, though, sources insist a departure is not imminent, with the player’s future unlikely to be resolved for a few more days.
Why Balde could leave
What’s in store for Balde’s future? (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
The biggest factor working against Balde is the impending arrival of Cancelo, who is almost certain to be Hansi Flick’s first-choice left-back this season.
With his path to regular minutes suddenly blocked, and having been left out against Elche, the chances of Balde staying at Barcelona appear minimal, even if a stay cannot be completely ruled out.
Should he leave, Barcelona would need to be active in the market to find a replacement. Interestingly, that could come in the form of a left-back or even a centre-back, an area the club have long considered strengthening.
Signing a central defender would allow Gerard Martin to shift back to left-back, offering Flick greater flexibility.
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