Manchester United monitoring 22-year-old star whose Barcelona future remains uncertain

Manchester United monitoring 22-year-old star whose Barcelona future remains uncertain Barcelona have had an excellent summer transfer window so far, bringing in the likes of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri and Joao Cancelo. They have also secured some important exits, such as Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ansu Fati and Ronald Araujo, and are still working on exits for the likes of Marc Casado. In recent days, it has emerged that Alejandro Balde could be another candidate to leave the club in the coming weeks. Hansi Flick hinted that the Spaniard was a great talent but was not putting in the hard yards in training to justify his potential. Now, according to Cadena SER , Balde has no intention of leaving Barça at this stage and wants to fight for his place. However, Manchester United are monitoring the situation in case the 22-year-old eventually becomes available in the final weeks of the window. Manchester United need a new left-back Man United are keeping an eye on Balde. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) United’s interest comes at a delicate moment for the defender. Balde is understood to have been affected by the fact that he will not start Barcelona’s next match against Elche. He was one of the first players to leave the training ground yesterday and sees Flick’s decision as a challenge. His preference remains to stay at Barcelona and compete for the position, and he would only seriously consider an exit if the club or Flick made clear that he was no longer part of the plans. Barcelona ready to study offers That is where the situation becomes interesting. Barça are not actively forcing Balde out, but they would consider a strong offer if one arrived. The reason is linked to squad planning. Barcelona have not completely finished their defensive work in the market and could use a Balde sale to create room for another centre-back and reshape the back line. Despite the Spaniard’s desire to stay and prove himself, Barça already have Cancelo and Jordi Pesquer is emerging as a serious option. Thus, the club could look to cash in on Balde while his market value is significant and use those funds to reinforce the team elsewhere. Manchester United could become relevant Balde was not part of the Barcelona squad vs Elche. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) For now, Manchester United are waiting in the wings to see how the Balde situation at Barça transpires. However, if Hansi Flick continues to indicate that Balde can leave, or if the player becomes convinced that regular minutes are difficult, the Red Devils could swoop in. Selling Balde would only make sense if Barça manage to extract a significant transfer fee for him that represents his obvious talent. If he ends up staying, though, there is no doubt that this upcoming season could end up being make-or-break for Balde at Barça . He has flattered to deceive for far too long now, and the onus is on the Spaniard to step up and take his game to the next level if he wants to succeed at Barcelona.