Manchester United Contact Mendes About Alejandro Balde

Manchester United have picked up the phone. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League club have contacted super-agent Jorge Mendes to sound out the situation of FC Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde.

United are hunting hard for a new left-back and had Lewis Hall of Newcastle United on their shortlist. That path has closed, with the Magpies shutting down any talk of a move, forcing the Old Trafford hierarchy to look elsewhere.

The search has led them to La Masia.

United call Mendes over Balde

With other options narrowing, United have turned to Mendes to understand two things: where Balde stands at Barcelona, and what it would take to prise him away. The 22-year-old, a product of Barça’s famed academy, fits the profile – young, quick, already proven at elite level.

Mendes is in Barcelona this week on multiple fronts. He is already holding talks over the future of Marc Casado, who is heading for the exit at the Spotify Camp Nou. United’s interest means Balde’s name is expected to be on the table as well when Mendes meets club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco.

The timing is no coincidence. Less than two weeks remain in the transfer window, and United want clarity fast.

Balde’s stance: Barcelona or nothing

There is one major obstacle. As Romano reports, Balde does not want to leave.

The left-back is content at his boyhood club and sees his future in Barcelona colours. That remains the case even with Joao Cancelo now signed on a permanent deal, ramping up competition on the left side of defence.

Balde’s position is clear: he has no intention of moving this summer. The only scenario in which he would reconsider is if Barcelona themselves tell him he is no longer part of their plans.

For now, that has not happened. So United can ask, Mendes can negotiate, but the player is not pushing for the door.

Fitness, pre-season and the immediate future

Balde’s summer has not been perfect. A back problem disrupted the early part of his pre-season and kept him out of action. Once recovered, he started to build rhythm again, featuring from the start in the friendly against FC Basel and then against Al-Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy.

He is under contract with Barcelona until 2028, a long-term commitment that strengthens the club’s hand in any talks. With Cancelo only just arriving this week, Balde is expected to start against Elche this weekend as Barça open their league campaign.

So the situation sits on a knife-edge familiar to late August: a big club in need, an agent in the middle, and a young defender who insists he is staying put.

With the window ticking down, who blinks first – the buyers, the sellers, or nobody at all?