Barcelona will seek at least €40 million for out-of-favour defender amid Chelsea, Man United interest

Barcelona will seek at least €40 million for out-of-favour defender amid Chelsea, Man United interest With each passing day, it is becoming clearer that Alejandro Balde does not feature in Barcelona manager Hansi Flick’s plans. As such, the possibility of a January departure is now gaining serious weight, with the La Masia graduate understood to be considering an exit, having grown disappointed with the treatment from the German tactician . Barcelona, for their part, would be very much open to the idea of selling the 23-year-old left-back as it would create room for them to sign a new centre-back in January. €40 million for Balde? Now, according to SPORT , Barcelona will demand an asking price of at least €40 million for Balde in the upcoming winter transfer window. As per the report, two Premier League heavyweights – Chelsea and Manchester United are among the clubs monitoring the Spanish left-back’s situation. Barcelona, as mentioned earlier, are prepared to part ways with their homegrown star. Ideally, the La Liga champions would prefer a permanent departure, so that they can fund the signing of a new central defender in January. Balde has fallen out of favour. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) However, the report states that the possibility of a loan exit has not completely been ruled out. Although, in that case, Barça will insist on a mandatory permanent purchase clause which will be activated at the end of the season. Balde’s difficult situation at Barcelona Balde has fallen out of favour under Flick this season and was informed of his reduced role during the summer itself, with Barcelona being open to his sale back then. However, the academy graduate decided to stay put and fight for his place in the team, only to see his situation worsen further. After all, the manager has preferred using Xavi Espart and Joao Cancelo, neither of whom is a natural left-back, ahead of Balde in his primary position. As such, the La Masia product has only played a total of 116 minutes across four appearances for Barça this season. Given the situation, the 23-year-old star is understood to be seriously considering moving on from his boyhood club to revive his career. Manchester United, Chelsea show interest Premier League clubs show interest. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images) Manchester United were keen on signing Balde during the summer transfer window and held talks with the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, over a potential move. Now, the Red Devils are once again showing an interest in the Barcelona star, but they have also been joined by fellow Premier League club Chelsea. And the €40 million price tag that Barcelona are reportedly setting would not be an issue for either club. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Manchester City are also keeping an eye on developments, although they are unlikely to make any move at this point. At the same time, there have also been enquiries from Juventus and AS Roma in Italy, but they would likely lean towards a loan move, while the player’s salary would also pose a challenge. It remains to be seen how the race to sign Balde evolves, but as things stand, the defender appears set to leave Barcelona, with the club demanding a fee of at least €40 million.