The transfer window can be a time of smoke and mirrors, but one club has made one thing clear to Manchester United regarding their player
Jorge Salinas of Real Racing Club during the LaLiga Hypermotion match between Racing Santander v Sporting Gijon at the Campos de Sport de El Sardinero on April 1, 2026 in Santander Spain
Jorge Salinas is of interest to Manchester United(Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)
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Racing Santander have made it clear Manchester United transfer target Jorge Salinas will only be sold if his £13.7million release clause is met. The 19-year-old has appeared on the Reds' transfer radar this summer.
The defender has established himself as a promising prospect in Europe and is already turning plenty of heads. One of those is Barcelona, who have reportedly offered the club just over £5m to sign him.
They could not turn down the offer quick enough, before referring the Catalans to the release clause in his contract. If United make an approach for him which is not equal to the release clause, they would be met by the same response.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Santander sporting director Chema Aragon has made it clear clubs must pay his release clause or miss out on signing him. He did also admit: "There is nothing we can do if a big star appears".
What they are doing is insisting the full £13.7m release clause is paid. Salinas has impressed with his versatility in the backline, hence the interest from Barcelona.
He is able to star as both a central defender and as a left-back, which would be a huge benefit to United. At present, Luke Shaw is the only out-and-out left-back at United and while he played in every Premier League match last season, his injury history will still be a worry.
Jorge Salinas, player number 32 of Racing de Santander, is seen before the kick-off of the La Liga Hypermotion match between FC Andorra and Racing de Santander at New FAF Stadium in Encamp, Andorra, on April 5, 2026.
Salinas is also of interest to Barcelona(Image: Walter Cunha/NurPhoto)
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Salinas would not only provide cover for Shaw, he could also fill in for Lisandro Martinez, who has battled his own injury issues over the last two seasons. United have also been linked with Lewis Hall from Newcastle United.
Signing him will be a huge challenge, as the Magpies have made it clear he is an untouchable player they have no intention of selling this season. Another potential player they could look to sign is Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini.
Similarly to Salinas, he can also star at central defence and left-back, as well as central midfield. Chelsea are also interested in the Italian, who was watched by United scouts in Atalanta's most recent pre-season match.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick has been reshaping his Manchester United squad in the summer transfer window(Image: Michael Campanella/Getty Images)
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United have primarily focussed on bulking out their midfield. Youri Tielemans of Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea were both signed. Aurelien Tchouameni continues to be linked to United, as does Manu Kone of Roma.
On Saturday, United's pre-season continues against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg, Sweden. This will then be followed with a friendly against Leeds United in Dublin, before pre-season wraps up with a clash against AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland.