Manchester United offered new hope over late fifth signing to follow Carlos Baleba deal | OneFootball

Red Devils are in pursuit of key new target before transfer deadline

Manchester United transfer target Alejandro Balde has been omitted from Barcelona’s squad to begin their LaLiga campaign.

The Spaniard was among the most high-profile absentees from Hansi Flick’s 21-man travelling group named for Sunday evening’s clash with Elche in Alicante.

Balde’s lack of involvement for Barcelona as they kick off their latest LaLiga title defence a week late comes after rumours suggesting that he is the new preferred candidate for Manchester United as they seek a left-back signing before the summer window closes for business on September 1.

There have been multiple reports of United’s growing interest in Balde over recent days, with claims that they have already made contact with agent Jorge Mendes to discuss the possible terms of a potential deal.

It was reported in Spain on Friday - per Sport Witness - that Mendes had held talks with Barcelona over two more of his clients in Balde and Marc Casado, having travelled to Catalonia initially to finalise Joao Cancelo’s return to the Camp Nou.

While it has been suggested that Flick does not want to lose Balde, the 22-year-old’s omission from the squad travelling to Elche on Sunday - alongside fellow transfer candidates Casado and Hector Fort - suggests that United could yet be successful with their approach.

Jijantes have also said that the Spanish international wants to leave Barcelona in the final days of the window as Mendes works to find a new club.

United are known to be looking for a new left-back as a long-term successor to current incumbent Luke Shaw, who turned 31 last month and is into the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, though the club retain the option to trigger a further 12-month extension.

Left-back target: Alejandro Balde could swap Barcelona for Manchester United before the transfer deadline

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They were said to have Lewis Hall at the top of their shortlist, only to find Newcastle unwilling to sanction another high-profile sale during a summer window in which they have already lost the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.

There have been tentative rumours about a potential late bid for Hall, though that looks like an impossible deal to get done with just over a week of the market remaining.

Other left-backs linked with United of late include RB Leipzig captain David Raum and Jorge Salinas of Racing Santander, the latter of whom is understood to be of interest to Atletico Madrid. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown is also said to be a target.

The Red Devils are turning their attention back to the left side of defence after clinching their coveted third midfielder signing of the summer with a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba that is worth an initial £65million, plus a further £5m in add-ons.

Manager Michael Carrick’s need for further reinforcements was laid bare on the opening day of the new Premier League season, when he watched his side lose 2-0 away at newly-promoted Hull in dismal fashion following a dispiriting end to pre-season in which they lost 4-2 to an AC Milan team led by former boss Ruben Amorim.