Just in: Barcelona defender decides to leave the club amid Manchester United interest | OneFootball

In a major development, Jijantes FC reports that FC Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde has decided to leave the club this summer.

Indeed, super-agent Jorge Mendes who has been in the Catalan capital this week, is now working to find a new team for the 22-year-old left-back in the final stretch of the summer transfer window out.

Balde decides to move on

Throughout the summer, there have been question marks over the continuity of Balde at Barcelona, after he lost his starting berth to Joao Cancelo in the second half of the last season.

With Blaugrana re-signing the Portuguese veteran on a permanent transfer this summer, the speculations about Balde’s future once again resurfaced.

The La Masia graduate has throughout maintained that he wished to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place.

Balde set to leave. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

However, following latest discussions with Mendes and the club, it appears that the Spanish defender has decided to pursue a new adventure in his career.

As reported previously, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has had doubts about Balde’s level and suitability, and the manager made that clear during his press conference earlier today.

“It’s a difficult question. Balde has a lot of quality. For me it is important, as I have said before, you have to have the condition to compete in a home position and this I want to see in each player.”

“I see what they do every day, which shows me that they are ready to play at the highest level. In the end, we will only succeed as a team. We need everyone 100% committed to us,” he added.

Manchester United interested

This development comes amidst reports of interest in Balde from Premier League giants Manchester United.

Manchester United are interested. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Indeed, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano earlier this week, the Red Devils had called Mendes to enquire about the Barcelona defender’s situation and the conditions for a potential transfer.

Moreover, it has also been reported that the 22-year-old Spaniard has also been offered to AC Milan, although his €40 million+ price tag could be an issue for the Italians.

However, it appears that Balde has now open the doors for a summer exit and if a suitable offer arrives, Barcelona are prepared to sell their homegrown defender.

In fact, there is even a possibility that he might not be included in the squad for tomorrow’s La Liga opener vs Elche.