How Man Utd helped Barcelona unearth their next superstar

15 Sept 2026 21:01 BST | 4 min read

Hansi Flick, Michael Carrick, Barcelona — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

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Xavi Espart has been Barcelona's breakout star this season, and Manchester United had a hand in his stunning emergence.

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The 19-year-old only made his senior debut for the LaLiga champions last term. Ahead of the current campaign, Espart had only one senior start to his name, yet all he needed to become Hansi Flick's first-choice left-back was one pre-season.

The teenager's sudden rise to prominence has had a sizeable knock-on effect. Joao Cancelo, whom the club chased all summer, has only made substitute appearances, while Alejandro Balde, once the most promising left-back in world football, has not played at all.

Current ETV

Xavi Espart

D (R)

Barcelona

Xavi Espart

D (R)

Barcelona

ETV Range

€0.8M - €1.2M

Indeed, Espart's pre-season performances were the reason why Barcelona were willing to cash in on Balde. Man Utd enquired about the 22-year-old but ultimately baulked at the financial package required to sign him.

Espart certainly hasn't been flawless so far this season. He gifted Levante a goal at the weekend, although Flick later took responsibility for this because he delayed the youngster's substitution even though he was cramping up. Apart from this, the La Masia graduate has impressed mightily.

How Man Utd aided Espart's rise

Intriguingly, Man Utd inadvertently had a part to play in Espart becoming a full-time starter, and it had nothing to do with their interest in Balde. Instead, one must look at Racing Santander and their impressive start to the season for clues.

The promoted outfit are currently in a comfortable tenth in LaLiga and have played some of the most exciting football in the division. A big part of their success has been hometown hero Jorge Salinas.

The 19-year-old is the club's undisputed starter at left-back, but he hasn't come out of the blue, unlike Espart. Salinas already stole the show in LaLiga2 last term, which prompted interest from numerous clubs.

Barcelona were among the first to run the rule over the teenager. They wanted to sign him, believing him to be a market opportunity due to an €8 million release clause. However, Santander's promotion meant that his price tag automatically doubled.

And despite his impressive performances, Barcelona were not prepared to pay €16m for a left-back who had never played in the top flight before, when they didn't urgently need reinforcements in that position.

Negotiating with Racing proved futile because club chiefs insisted that the only way to sign him would be by triggering his release clause. This stance only hardened when interest in the youngster's services increased.

With a move to Man Utd stalling, Atletico Madrid and Man Utd also began exploring a possible deal. Knowing that other affluent clubs were interested in Salinas, Santander had no intention of offering Barcelona a discount.

The Blaugrana therefore turned to Espart, and what a success story he has been. Santander, too, have emerged from this story as the big winners as they managed to keep Salinas - neither Atleti nor Man Utd were prepared to pay €16m - and his value is only increasing.

If they can amend his contract and raise his release clause, they will have played their cards perfectly. Despite not getting their hands on Salinas, Barcelona will also be content with how things have panned out.