Manchester United have officially ended their attempts to sign left-back Alejandro Balde from Barcelona in the closing hours of the summer transfer window, according to Spanish outlet Diario SPORT.
The final round of negotiations took place on Sunday between the United hierarchy and the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes. After the discussions, the Red Devils deemed the financial demands from the Spanish side, particularly regarding the defender's salary, to be excessively high.
The English club was solely interested in a loan deal; however, Barcelona categorically rejected this and insisted on a full transfer for a fixed fee of €35 million (approximately £30 million).
Balde himself remains committed to Barcelona and intends to stay at Camp Nou to fight for a first-team spot and regain the full trust of head coach Hansi Flick.
Following the collapse of this deal, Manchester United have turned their attention to exploring other options to bolster their defensive flanks, with Lewis Hall from Newcastle United among the potential targets. Meanwhile, Balde faces stiff competition for game time on the left side from Joao Cancelo, Gerard Martin, and Xavi Espart.
