Chelsea enter the race for Manchester United target Alejandro Balde | OneFootball

Chelsea have entered the race for Manchester United target, Alejandro Balde.

The Red Devils have struggled all season in the left back position due to a couple of serious injuries to Luke Shaw which has limited him to 15 matches all season.

Tyrell Malacia has also been injured since pre-season and it has also been reported that the Dutchman is struggling with mental health issues and is unlikely to return until next season.

As a result, it has been reported that United will certainly dip into the left back market this summer, as Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Sofyan Amrabat and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have all had to deputise in the unfamiliar terrain over the course of the season.

The Red Devils have been linked with the exciting Alejandro Balde who plays for Barcelona and Spain.

This is due to the player becoming “unexpectedly available” due to Barcelona’s precarious financial situation.

However, the Old Trafford outfit are not the only Premier League team who admire the 20 year old.

El Nacional (via Caughtoffside) report that “Chelsea are one of the teams that has shown interest in signing” the defender.

The paper asserts that in spite of a very successful debut season in 2022/2023, Balde “has not taken the step forward that was expected this year”.

In fact they lament his inability to become Barca’s undisputed first choice left back and state, “nothing could be further from the truth, as it (his perceived inability to kick on) had become one of the biggest disappointments”.

This has led him to lose both his starting place in Barcelona and the national team’s first eleven.

To make matters worse, the full back was injured in January and had to undergo an operation that will likely keep him out of action until the summer.

The issue of finance rears its head again as the outlet also claims, “the delicate economic situation forces Joan Laporta and Deco to have to study all the offers they receive for their players, and Balde is one of the candidates to leave. He still has many suitors in Europe”.

The Catalan paper reports that Chelsea are prepared to put €50m on the table but the Blaugrana value the youngster at closer to €70m.

However, United should hold an advantage over Chelsea for two main reasons.

The first is league position as the Blues, unless they win the FA Cup, are unlikely to qualify for Europe where United still have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Even if they don’t however, the Europa League or even Conference league seem very achievable.

In addition, Balde has already spoken about how the Red Devils are his favourite team besides Barcelona, so if he were to leave, it would be logical he would jump at the chance of a move to Old Trafford.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.