{
  "id": 12348097,
  "title": "Manchester United remain interested in Barcelona outcast – report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/manchester-united-remain-interested-in-barcelona-outcast-report",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T09:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/manchester-united-remain-interested-barcelona-093000276.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Manchester United remains interested in signing Barcelona's Alejandro Balde, according to a recent report. Balde has struggled to secure a regular spot under the managerial team of Hansi Flick at the Catalan club, with Xavi Espart and Joao Cancelo outshining him in recent performances. The La Masia product has been relegated to a backup role and has limited playing time this season. Balde's strong desire to earn Flick's trust has not been met thus far. Despite his commitment to Barcelona, Mundo Deportivo claims that United has remained interested throughout the summer, and the Premier League side is still keen on Balde during the upcoming transfer windows. With Cancelo and Espart ahead of him in Flick's pecking order, Balde's prospects for a starting role at left-back are slim. However, the recent strong performances of Cancelo at right-back for Portugal may provide a small ray of hope for Balde. If Flick decides to utilize Cancelo at right-back to fill the void left by injured players such as Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia, Balde could find himself in a rotational role as a second choice. Balde's fate hinges on his performance over the next two months, as he will decide whether to stay with Barcelona or depart for Manchester United in January.",
  "summary": "The new season has not been kind to Alejandro Balde, who has quickly slumped from a regular starter to a backup option under Hansi Flick.Since pre-season, the manager has made it clear that he needs t...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Marcus Rashford’s reintegration has thrown Bruno Fernandes’ contract talks with Manchester United into doubt",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/marcus-rashfords-reintegration-has-thrown-bruno-fernandes-contract",
        "published": "2026-10-06T05:05:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}