Manchester United boss Michael Carrick will hope to see his side get off to a winning start when they begin their Premier League campaign with a game against Hull City on Saturday.
The Red Devils endured a tough first half of last season under Ruben Amorim, but improved significantly after Carrick was appointed as interim head coach midway through the campaign.
The former England international guided United to Champions League qualification, and has since been appointed on a permanent basis.
While it remains to be seen how successful this season will be, it is now emerging that the Manchester outfit are eyeing a move to sign a La Liga defender.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Man United have enquired about the availability of Barcelona star Alejandro Balde.
The Italian journalist claims that the Red Devils are on the hunt for a new full-back and have identified the 22-year-old as a potential target.
Balde has played more than 165 times for Barcelona (Photo: Aflo Co. Ltd/Alamy)
Balde joined Barcelona’s youth system as a youngster and has since progressed into the first team.
In total he has now made 168 appearances for the club in all competitions – including 116 in La Liga – and he was part of the squad that won the Spanish top flight last season.
United are on the hunt for reinforcements at left-back following the departure of Tyrell Malacia at the end of last season.
Luke Shaw – who is set to be United’s first-choice left-back this term – has also struggled with injuries over the past few seasons.
Balde’s contract in Spain is set to run until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, but Romano claims that United have made contact to gauge whether or not the player might be availabel in the closing weeks of the current transfer window.
