Manchester United manager Michael Carrick looks on vs West Ham
Manchester United have held talks over the potential signing of Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde, with Fabrizio Romano providing the latest.
It's no secret that United are in the market for a new left-back this summer, with Newcastle United's Lewis Hall reportedly one of their targets.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, a deal with the Magpies is looking tricky to do, as they don't want to lose the England international.
United currently have Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu as their primary left-back options, but they might be looking for a younger profile, with the former reaching the latter stages of his career.
Shaw has regularly suffered from injury problems throughout his career, although last season was an anomaly after he stayed injury-free.
Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick claps the fans
Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick claps the fans
Reporting on X, Italian journalist Romano has confirmed that Manchester United have held talks with the camp of Barcelona left-back Balde over a possible move.
The respected journalist confirms that the Barcelona star is happy at the La Liga giants, so it's unclear if they'd be able to secure his signature.
"Manchester United keep looking for new left back, next priority after Baleba deal. There have been calls with Alejandro Balde’s camp over last days to understand if exit is possible and conditions. Balde, happy at Barcelona."
Romano confirms that signing a left-back is United's next priority after they secure the signature of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Man Utd understandably want third midfielder
via Reuters
Romano has confirmed that Manchester United are expected to reach an agreement to secure the signature of Baleba from Brighton this summer.
It's no surprise that the Red Devils are in the market for another midfielder, despite already bringing in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos.
Santos is relatively inexperienced in the Premier League, while Tielemans is reaching the latter stages of his career.
Someone like Baleba is the ideal balance of a player with plenty of Premier League experience but also many years ahead of him.
Baleba is also ideal in terms of profile, being a physical ball-winning midfielder who is also comfortable in possession.
It's not going to be cheap to secure his signature in the summer transfer window, but the signing could completely revolutionise their midfield when coupled with Tielemans and Santos.