Fabrizio Romano says Manchester United's move for Alejandro Balde is too expensive unless Barcelona soften on a loan. He said he had a call with Jorge Mendes one week ago, but the deal is still blocked by the fee and the salary. Romano also said Barcelona are not accepting a loan, as of today, and that Balde wants to stay at Barcelona.

The loan problem

Romano's update leaves United with a clear issue: the interest is there, but the structure is not. Speaking to teamtalk.com, he said, "They had a call with Jorge Mendes one week ago, but the deal is too expensive: transfer fee and salary too expensive."

He added: "At the moment, it is very complicated because Barcelona are not accepting a loan, as of today."

That is the part that keeps the move from looking realistic right now. Romano's final point on the subject was equally direct: "Then, if they open to a loan in the final hours of the market, that’s another story, but, as of today, Barca are not opening to a loan, and Balde wants to stay at Barcelona."

A permanent deal sounds especially difficult under those terms. Romano said, "So, if Utd come for Balde, it could be interesting, but, at the moment, financially permanent deal is very complicated – for the salary and for the transfer fee."

United's left-back need

United's interest is not coming from nowhere. Luke Shaw has made just 2 Premier League appearances this season and has logged 163 minutes, a small enough workload on paper but one the club still want to manage across a busy schedule.

His season rating stands at 6.65, which is solid rather than dominant. That does not rule him out of the side, but it does explain why United are still looking at cover on the left.

Michael Carrick also said time is tight when talking about late moves. "It's always difficult to say, to be honest, when there's so little time left," he told express.co.uk.

Romano's read is the stronger one for now: United want Balde, but Barcelona are not open to the loan structure that would make the deal work, and Balde wants to stay where he is. With the September 1 transfer deadline approaching, the left-back search still has to be solved quickly.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →