Barcelona never considered loan exit for homegrown star amidst Man United interest

Barcelona never considered loan exit for homegrown star amidst Man United interest Barcelona have started the 2026-27 season in unstoppable form under Hansi Flick, with the team working in unison to pick teams apart with utmost ease. The Catalan club have enjoyed a perfect start to the new campaign, with five wins from five across La Liga and the Champions League. However, one player who is yet to play a single minute for Barça this season is Alejandro Balde. The Spaniard has fallen down the pecking order under Flick. Balde emerged as a genuine exit candidate at the fag end of the summer transfer window, with Flick leaving him out of the squad on Matchday 1. In his absence, Xavi Espart has stepped up and played every single minute in La Liga so far for Barça, mostly at left-back. Joao Cancelo has rotated well with him and started at left-back against Feyenoord in the Champions League. Barcelona only considered a permanent sale Now, according to Fabrizio Romano , Barcelona only considered a permanent sale for Balde in the summer. Manchester United were interested but wanted to sign him on loan, with a permanent signing seen as financially impossible for the English club. Xavi Espart has been a revelation at left-back for Barcelona. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images) That stance immediately created a major gap between the two clubs. The Red Devils’ financial position would never have aligned with the Catalans’ interest. For Barça, the logic is understandable. A loan would have seen an important first-team player until last season leave with little to no upside for the Catalans. Balde remains important to Barça’s future Balde’s situation has been closely watched because competition at left-back has increased and Flick has demanded more consistency from him. Even so, there is no doubting his talent or the fact that he can go on to become an important part of Barça’s future. Having enjoyed a close to undisputed run since he first broke into the first team, Balde is facing a test for the first time. Hansi Flick has challenged Balde to step up his level.. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) The academy graduate still has qualities that are close to impossible to buy in the market and would be the perfect complementary profile to Espart and Cancelo. Barça made the right call In an ideal world, Barcelona should not have considered a sale for Balde at all. That said, it might have been Flick’s way of sending a message. The Catalans were right in their call to hold firm on the 22-year-old and eventually reach the decision to keep hold of him. He definitely needs to do more in training to convince Flick that he deserves some minutes in the coming weeks. Flick has provided Balde with a challenge, and it remains to be seen how the Spaniard fares through the course of the season and beyond.