Jorge Mendes is in talks about selling a player to Man Utd as the club reaches out for the first time.
Top agent Jorge Mendes had talks on Thursday about possibly selling a Barcelona player to Manchester United—and another teammate might leave too.
Manchester United have mostly focused on midfield signings this summer. They’ve brought in Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, spending around £130 million on the two. They also look close to signing Carlos Baleba from Brighton, even though their first £60 million offer was turned down on Thursday.
United still need a left-back, and they’ve been offered RB Leipzig’s David Raum and Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas. Both players have been targets all summer. But on Thursday, it was also reported that United got in touch with Barcelona about their left-back, Alejandro Balde.
Balde is Barcelona’s main left-back when he’s fit. Last season, he competed with fellow La Masia player Gerard Martin before Martin was moved to center-back by coach Hansi Flick. The 22-year-old has had some injuries recently—three different hamstring problems since April 2025—which might worry United. Still, Balde has solid European experience, which could help as United gets ready to return to the Champions League.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano said on Thursday that Michael Carrick’s team spoke to Mendes, who is Balde’s agent, about a possible transfer. Mendes, who also represents Cristiano Ronaldo, was in Barcelona meeting with the La Liga champions about several players.
According to Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Mendes discussed the possible summer sale of Marc Casado, a player linked with Arsenal and Newcastle. But Balde’s name also came up as a possible Manchester United signing.
If United want Balde, they’ll have to deal directly with Barcelona because he has a huge €1 billion release clause. Romano adds that Balde doesn’t want to leave Barcelona right now but would accept it if the club gives the okay.
“Barcelona and Balde have a great relationship,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “Balde is a Barca boy. He wouldn’t leave unless Barcelona told him it’s okay to go.”
One more interesting point: in a 2022 interview with Mundo Deportivo, when Balde was asked about his favorite club besides Barcelona, he said Manchester United!