Alejandro Balde: Man United’s plot to trump Inter Milan to Barca star

Manchester United are preparing to muscle Inter Milan out of the race for Alejandro Balde after identifying the Barcelona left-back as the ideal solution to their long-standing problem on the left flank, sources have told The Peoples Person.

INEOS, the club’s new football operation leaders, are ready to sanction an opening offer in the region of €40 million for the 21-year-old Spain international, whose explosive pace and attacking instincts have made him one of La Liga’s most coveted defenders.

United’s interest pivots on the uncertain future of Patrick Dorgu, the Denmark Under-21 star whose dramatic positional switch under interim boss Michael Carrick has forced a rethink of summer recruitment plans. Dorgu, originally signed as a wing-back, has flourished as an out-and-out winger, scoring in consecutive victories over Manchester City and Arsenal before a hamstring injury curtailed his surge in late March. Those displays have convinced Carrick and the board that a natural left-back, rather than another wide player, is the priority.

Balde fits the profile perfectly. Capable of providing relentless width and a constant overlap threat, the La Masia graduate would offer both competition and cover for Luke Shaw, whose persistent fitness issues have left United scrambling for reliability at full-back.

Barcelona, hamstrung by financial fair-play constraints, are reluctantly open to cashing in on the youngster, who has struggled to build on the early promise that once marked him as Jordi Alba’s long-term successor. That hesitancy has encouraged United to test Camp Nou’s resolve, yet Inter Milan’s sudden emergence as suitors threatens to ignite a bidding war the Premier League giants had hoped to avoid.

Inter’s sporting hierarchy, renowned for extracting value from the market, are “monitoring the situation closely”, according to GOAL, and could yet drive Balde’s price beyond United’s comfort zone. With the Nerazzurri also seeking reinforcements on the left, the coming weeks promise a high-stakes tug-of-war for one of European football’s most intriguing defensive prospects.

United’s midfield overhaul remains the headline act of their summer rebuild, with Manuel Ugarte’s form under scrutiny and Casemiro heading for the exit, but the pursuit of Balde signals INEOS’ intention to address every weakness in Ruben Amorim’s squad. Whether they can out-muscle Inter and land their man before the fee escalates will be one of the window’s early storylines.