Manchester United table firm offer for Barcelona outcast Balde as Shaw era nears end

Manchester United have a firm offer on the table for Alejandro Balde after the Barcelona left-back was omitted from Hansi Flick’s matchday squad at the weekend, signalling a potential exit from Camp Nou for the 22-year-old Spaniard.

According to a Cadena Ser report, Balde is uncertain about his immediate future at Barcelona, with Flick yet to “clearly define his role for the current season.” The German coach has recently favoured Gerard Martin in the left-back position, and Barcelona’s summer re-signing of Joao Cancelo has further complicated Balde’s path to regular first-team football. Flick has also publicly called on Balde to show “more commitment, more competitiveness, and more intensity.”

Balde has not been formally asked to leave Catalonia, but the combination of reduced playing time and a concrete approach from Old Trafford has placed his future firmly in doubt. Transfermarkt values the defender at €50 million.

The urgency at United’s end was underlined on Saturday when the club lost 2-0 to newly promoted Hull City, with long-serving left-back Luke Shaw drawing sharp criticism. Club legend Gary Neville dissected Shaw’s performance, saying the 31-year-old had “no idea what [he was] doing” for one of the goals. Shaw is now in his 13th season at United, though persistent injury problems have limited his availability across much of that spell.

United have explored several alternatives at left-back, including Joaquin Seys, Lewis Hall, and Myles Lewis-Skelly, though Hall and Lewis-Skelly are understood not to be available for transfer.

Balde’s trajectory has been one of rapid rise followed by a difficult plateau. He broke into Barcelona’s first team at 18, earned a senior Spain call-up a year later, and signed a long-term contract in 2023 that included a reported billion-euro release clause — a reflection of the enormous expectations placed on him at the time. A hamstring injury in 2024 disrupted his development, and despite a surprise inclusion in Spain’s 2022 World Cup squad, he was left out of the nation’s triumphant Euro 2024 campaign and the current 2026 World Cup cycle.

FourFourTwo also reports that Barcelona are looking to move La Masia graduates Hector Fort and Marc Casado on, with Premier League clubs having shown interest in both players at various points.