Liverpool battle Manchester United for Barcelona's unused sub Alejandro Balde

After spending £250.1 million on reinforcements in the last transfer window, Liverpool are still looking for the ideal fit with Andoni Iraola. And following Ronald Araújo’s strong start at Anfield, the Reds are targeting another of Hansi Flick’s reserves at Barcelona: Alejandro Balde.

According to the newspaper Sport, the left-back, who has fallen down the pecking order at Barça, would be an “interesting signing” in the Spanish manager’s view, particularly if the terms of the deal are favourable. As with the swift negotiations that led to the agreement for the Uruguayan centre-back’s loan, Liverpool and Barcelona have a good relationship.

After struggling with anxiety and depression at Camp Nou, Araújo has relaunched his career with the Reds, making an immediate impact on the right side of the defence. The No. 33 even provided a backheel assist for Dominik Szoboszlai in the 2–1 win over Atletico Madrid, in the opening round of the Champions League, last week.

As in the case of Ronald Araújo, who had fallen down the German coach’s pecking order, Liverpool believe they can bring out the best in Balde again. So far, there has been no official movement behind the scenes, but the Reds are monitoring the situation of the Barcelona No. 3 ahead of the market reopening in January.

After his meteoric rise from the academy to the first team, Alejandro Balde gradually stopped being an undisputed starter for the Blaugrana due to injuries and inconsistent performances. With João Cancelo arriving on loan in January, before making the move permanent in August, the left-back became a reserve and ceased to be a priority for Flick.

During pre-season, Barcelona promoted Xavi Espart from La Masia, and his performances in the friendlies convinced the coach that he deserved to be part of the rotation for 2026/27. As a result, the 22-year-old Spaniard became the third option in the position and was placed on the Culés’ transfer list.

In recent weeks, Balde had been linked with clubs such as Benfica, Inter Milan, Aston Villa and Manchester United, but the talks did not progress. He decided to stay in an attempt to convince the German coach that he deserved further opportunities to prove his quality at Barça.

However, Alejandro Balde has not played a single minute this season, despite being fully fit. An unused substitute in every competitive match so far, the Spanish left-back could accept the challenge of joining the Reds, who have doubts over their current options.

Milos Kerkez has still been unable to reproduce the high-level performances he delivered at Iraola’s Bournemouth, while his immediate understudy, Kostas Tsimikas, who was loaned to Roma in 2025/26 and also failed to convince, has done little to justify his place in the starting XI.

For Balde, choosing between remaining on the sidelines at Barcelona, with whom he has a contract until June 2028, and attempting a fresh start at Liverpool is not a difficult decision. It remains to be seen whether the clubs are willing to turn that possibility into reality during the European winter transfer window.

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