Spectacular Man Utd move for Barcelona jewel prompts lengthy Romano response

Rumours of Manchester United moving for one of Barcelona’s homegrown starters has prompted Fabrizio Romano to weigh in with the full truths on what’s really happening.

Regular readers of TEAMtalk will be well informed on Man Utd’s transfer plans for the summer. One, and more probably two, new central midfielders are on the agenda to coincide with Casemiro’s departure via free agency. Manuel Ugarte could also depart, though that’s by no means guaranteed for the time being.

A new left winger is a priority, while additions could be made at centre-back and striker, with the latter tied to whether Joshua Zirkzee stays or goes.

However, reports in the often speculative Spanish press in February talked up a shock Man Utd move for a left-back – Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.

Signing a new left-back could make sense on some level, with Luke Shaw now into his thirties and Patrick Dorgu excelling more as a winger than full-back this season.

There was even talk of United’s director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, getting involved to help steer 22-year-old Balde to Old Trafford.

The murmurings have now prompted a detailed response from transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, who as you might expect given where these rumours originated, has debunked the whole story.

“There have also been many questions about Man Utd and Alejandro Balde,” began Romano when reporting on his YouTube channel. “Some reports linked the player with United, but the current situation is very clear.

“Barcelona consider Balde to be a crucial part of their project. Internally, they believe he still has enormous potential and that he is far from the finished product.

“He is still very young, and the club believe he can continue to learn and develop significantly in the coming years.

“For this reason, at this stage, Barcelona have no intention of letting Balde leave for Man Utd. In addition, Man Utd already invested in that position with Patrick Dorgu.”

Romano concluded: “We will see what United decide to do across several areas of the squad because they are planning a busy summer.

“They want to sign a left winger, and they will look for midfielders as well. We will also see what happens at centre-back.

“But as things stand today, Man Utd have not started any negotiations for Alejandro Balde.”

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