Manchester United have made an approach to sign Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde after closing in on a £65m deal for Carlos Baleba.
United looked set to go into the new Premier League season with only two new midfielders after the signings of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea.
But Michael Carrick was keen to welcome a third midfielder to Old Trafford this summer after losing Casemiro at the end of last season.
Manchester United were linked with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, who both joined Tottenham, and Elliot Anderson, who completed a £116m move to local rivals Manchester City.
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Carrick was therefore preparing to go into the 2026-27 campaign with only his current options at his disposal until United made a breakthrough in talks with Brighton for Baleba.
It was reported on Wednesday that Manchester United were closing in on a deal for the Cameroon international worth around £65m.
Baleba will become Carrick’s third major signing of the summer but Old Trafford bosses are not finished in the transfer market just yet.
A new left-back has been on Carrick’s wishlist for months to provide cover and competition for Luke Shaw ahead of Manchester United’s return to the Champions League.
The Red Devils hoped to welcome Lewis Hall to the Theatre of Dreams but Newcastle United have ruled out selling another first-team player before the transfer deadline.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says Manchester United have made an approach for Barcelona left-back Balde and held talks with his representatives.
Balde has made 168 appearances for Barca since graduating from the club’s academy, helping his boyhood side win three La Liga titles.
The 22-year-old has also earned seven caps for Spain but none since 2023 and was left out of their World Cup-winning squad this summer.
In the same year, Balde signed a new contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2028 which included an unattainable buyout clause of €1 billion.
More to follow…
