Man City Could Make Move For £33M Rated La Liga Star If They Offload Ait-Nouri
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Man City are interested in signing Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde, according to reports in Spain.
Catalan publication Sport claims that the Spanish international is on the Manchester club’s radar, but any approach will “depend on possible departures”.
Enzo Maresca’s side are not exactly short of options at left-back, with Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Ait-Nouri all part of the first-team squad.
However, Ait-Nouri has been heavily linked with a move away from the Etihad, having struggled for game time. The Algerian international’s exit could leave the door open for Balde’s arrival.
Barca are willing to sell the Man City target
Balde’s club are reportedly prepared to listen to offers for the 23-year-old, with a fee in the region of €40m (£33m) likely to be accepted.
However, the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is believed to be pushing for Barca to let him leave on an initial loan deal with an option/obligation to buy.
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There will be competition for Balde
Sport reports that the fullback is attracting interest from right across Europe. Manchester United (who are also keen on Ait-Nouri), Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham are among the other Premier League teams circling the player.
Roma, Juventus, Monaco and Benfica are said to be very keen on Balde too, but the defender’s salary would be a big obstacle for most of those clubs. It means a switch to the Premier League is the most realistic option.
At the moment, it seems City are not seen as the likeliest destination, mainly due to the fact that Ait-Nouri needs to be offloaded first. Even so, it is definitely a transfer story to keep a close eye on ahead of the January transfer window.