Alejandro Balde chose to talk about staying, not leaving.
Speaking to Catalan broadcaster TV3 after Barcelona’s Joan Gamper Trophy win this week, the 22-year-old left-back addressed the exit talk head on.
“I know there’s a lot of talk, but I think I’m doing things right,” Balde said.
“I have to focus on myself and my work and things come.”
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That public message landed as reports emerged that Manchester United had turned to him as a late option. According to Fabrizio Romano, cited by The Peoples Person, the Premier League club have made calls to Balde’s representatives to sound out his availability.
“There have been calls with Alejandro Balde’s camp over last days to understand if exit is possible and conditions,” Romano wrote.
“Balde, happy at Barcelona.”
The Lewis Hall setback that pushed United to Balde
Balde is a fallback rather than a first choice. United’s main target on the left had been Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, but FootballTransfers reported that his price climbed to a level United would not meet, pushing them toward alternatives that also include RB Leipzig’s David Raum and Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas.
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Any fee for Balde would be an estimate rather than a settled figure. FootballTransfers’ pricing model puts his value at around €48m.
Barcelona have not put him on the market
The sporting case for Barcelona to listen does exist. João Cancelo has completed a permanent move to Camp Nou after previous loan spells, and his presence has already squeezed Balde’s minutes on the left.
Against that stands a contract that runs until the summer of 2028 and the fact that Balde is a homegrown Spain international the club would not sell cheaply, if at all. No public signal has come out of Barcelona that a sale is being considered.
Balde’s message pre-dates the phone calls
Multiple recent reports echo the same line: Balde does not want to go, and Romano’s phrase that he is “happy at Barcelona” runs through the coverage.
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Balde had already set out his position in late July, telling SPORT that “Barcelona is my home”. His TV3 comments after the Gamper made the same point in a different form.
With the Premier League window in its final days and no signal from Camp Nou that a sale is on the table, United’s late inquiry looks unlikely to progress.
