Manchester City wants to fish in Barcelona

Manchester City is interested in signing Alejandro Balde in the upcoming summer transfer market, considering that FC Barcelona is open to selling the Spanish full-back due to his poor performance this season.

The sports management of the sky-blue team, immersed in the restructuring of its squad for the demanding 2026/27 season, seeks to strengthen its left defensive flank as a top priority. British newspapers agree that the Manchester club plans to put a substantial offer on the table, which could rise to 70 million euros.

Such a cash injection is viewed positively within the Catalan team, which acknowledges the urgent need to raise considerable funds after recently sealing the multimillion-dollar signing of forward Anthony Gordon.

Enzo Maresca has requested the signing of Alejandro Balde for Manchester City

The growing interest from the City team directly responds to the specific tactical needs that the new coaching staff at the Etihad Stadium will demand. Enzo Maresca, the coach set to inherit Pep Guardiola's heavy legacy, sees in Alejandro Balde the perfect natural abilities to revolutionize the dynamism of his defensive line.

The Spanish national team player possesses devastating acceleration in long runs, astonishing speed in defensive fallbacks to handle defensive transitions, and a refined technical foundation that enhances ball circulation under maximal pressure situations. Manchester City aims to exploit this wide range of movements on the left wing, providing aggressive high pressure after losing possession in rival territory and an indiscernible vertical drive against highly compact defenses.

Barcelona aims to sell Alejandro Balde

Despite the undeniable potential of the 22-year-old full-back, the Barcelona hierarchy has drastically shifted its defensive stance and now considers the player a fully transferable asset in this summer market. While he was previously an undisputed figure in previous seasons, featuring in 168 official matches in the blaugrana shirt and 42 appearances in the last campaign, his influence in Hansi Flick's positional structures has significantly decreased.

The Spanish board secretly doubts the speculated 70 million in the UK, as internally they value Alejandro Balde at around 50 million euros, a sum that Camp Nou's offices would accept immediately to balance their delicate wage bill and finance other priority areas of the squad.

The definitive departure of the Barcelona defender, whose current contract expires in June 2028, will not alter the strategic plans outlined by the German coaching staff. Barcelona views João Cancelo's continuous presence on the flank with absolute optimism and has identified Chelsea's player, Marc Cucurella, as the primary reliable replacement if the academy product moves to England.

Meanwhile, the operational risk lies in the adaptation of the speedy Catalan full-back to the rigorous positional discipline of the Premier League, where full-backs must grasp when to switch play direction, when to secure the containment structure, and when to widen the field under the complex British directives.

The upcoming days of June will be crucial in determining whether Manchester's white-collar leadership formalizes the banking guarantees or if talks stall due to the player's contract doubts, who originally preferred staying in Spain. The City coaching staff urgently needs versatile defenders capable of providing immediate verticality to their offensive transitions before the preseason training sessions officially start.

Manchester City aims to enhance its squad for the upcoming season, with Alejandro Balde becoming one of the top desires of Enzo Maresca.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El Manchester City quiere pescar en el Barcelona