Barcelona have reportedly rejected a €50m (£42m) bid from Manchester United for Spanish defender Alejandro Balde.
The 21-year-old has again been an important player for Barcelona during the 2024-25 campaign, making 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring once and providing eight assists in the process.
Balde came through the youth system at the club, and he has represented them on 119 occasions, scoring three times and registering 15 assists, including one goal and 11 assists in 82 league outings.
According to Fichajes, Man United are huge admirers of Balde, viewing him as the perfect signing for the left-sided wing-back role, with the Red Devils said to have placed a €50m (£42m) bid on the table.
However, Barcelona allegedly made it clear that the Spain international is not for sale this summer.
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Man United 'fail with £42m bid for Balde'
Balde made seven appearances for Barcelona during the 2021-22 campaign before becoming a starter in 2022-23, and he is set to pass the 40-mark in terms of matches for the second time in the last three seasons.
The Spaniard is bidding to help Hansi Flick's side win a treble in the latter stages of the campaign, with the Catalan team chasing success in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
On Wednesday night, Balde played the full 90 minutes of the second leg of Barcelona's Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid, which finished 1-0 to the La Liga leaders, who have set up a final appearance against Real Madrid.
Balde will be hoping to earn a spot in the Spain squad for the 2026 World Cup, but he was somewhat surprisingly left out of the March internationals, with La Roja head coach Luis de la Fuente preferring other options in that area of the field.
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Will Man United return with a fresh offer for Balde?
Man United's alleged interest in Balde is quite surprising considering that the club signed Patrick Dorgu from Lecce in January to operate as their left-sided wing-back, but it is believed that head coach Ruben Amorim wants more competition in that area.
Luke Shaw is now back to fitness, but it is difficult to rely on the Englishman due to his injury struggles, while Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have not convinced as wing-backs in this system.
Dorgu is capable of playing down the right, meanwhile, so it is not a complete shock that another left-sided player is being targeted, and Balde certainly has the potential to develop into one of the top players in the world in that position.
However, it is incredibly difficult to imagine Barcelona letting him leave considering that he is vital to their plans moving forward.
Matt Law
