Man Utd have found their Lewis Hall alternative – and he’s better and cheaper

Updated: 21 Aug 2026 07:21 BST | 4 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

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With Manchester United frustrated by Newcastle in their quest to sign Lewis Hall, Michael Carrick’s side are interested in a potential move for Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.

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Barca’s decision to sign Joao Cancelo on a three-year deal has brought about immediate interest from United in the situation of the 22-year-old Balde, with the Premier League giants in touch with the agent of the full-back, Jorge Mendes, to discover the player’s position, Sport reports.

The Red Devils go into the final fortnight of the transfer window exploring numerous options at left-back, where they have worked all summer unsuccessfully to find support for Luke Shaw.

Current ETV

Alejandro Balde

D (L)

Barcelona

Alejandro Balde

D (L)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€43.2M - €52.8M

United’s primary target has been England international Hall, but Newcastle have persistently knocked back their approaches, having put a €70 million (£60m) price on the player following deals to sell key figures Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in what has been a summer of upheaval at St James’ Park.

Faced with the possibility that the Hall move may not come to fruition, United have been linked with RB Leipzig’s David Raum, Club Brugge’s Joaquin Seys and Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas among others.

But developments in Barcelona have opened up the possibility of a deal to sign Balde, who is one of the most promising full-backs in the world.

Balde to Man Utd: A win-win situation

Balde’s situation at Barcelona has been dramatically changed by the La Liga champions' decision to sign Cancelo on a free transfer.

The former Manchester City man featured ahead of Balde regularly in the second half of last season during a loan stint at Camp Nou, so his arrival throws into question how much game time Balde will receive.

Barcelona could see this as an opportunity to exploit. With an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €48 million, the Blaugrana could get good money for the youngster, which they need to complete a deal to sign a centre-forward – an area they are still drastically short in.

From Man Utd’s perspective, Balde could potentially be a cheaper option than Hall, while he is also a stronger player than the Newcastle man, according to the analysis of SciSports, which rates the Spaniard as the better player based on its algorithm derived from hundreds of in-game data points.

A win-win situation is, therefore, developing for both clubs.

© IMAGO - Alejandro Balde, Lewis Hall, Career Development

Baleba and two more in at Man Utd?

Fabrizio Romano says it is ‘almost guaranteed’ that Man Utd sign a new left-back before the transfer window shuts, although talks to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba appear to take precedence for the moment.

The transfer insider says: “The expectation is for the next signing at Man Utd to be Carlos Baleba. But Manchester United are not done yet on the market.”

“This is the way to go for a left-back, and let's see what happens up front if Joshua Zirkzee leaves. So it could be two more signings after Baleba for Manchester United.

“One left-back, I would say, is almost guaranteed, and then one more striker only if Zirkzee leaves.”