‘All I can say is…’: Romano issues update on Man Utd’s reported interest in ‘crucial’ Barcelona star

Manchester United may be admirers of Alejandro Balde, but their chances of prising him from Barcelona are low.That’s if Fabrizio Romano’s latest update is anything to go by, anyway.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYUnited and Balde: What’s been said?United have been linked with Balde on numerous occasions over the last year, presumably as they start making plans for an eventual Luke Shaw successor.The 30-year-old is contracted to Old Trafford until June 2027 and, despite him often being such an impactful and influential figure when starting, INEOS will likely opt against offering him a new deal due to his torrid injury record.Since signing for United in 2014, Shaw, according to Transfermarkt, has missed an unprecedented 231 matches through injury or fitness concerns, making him just too unreliable to depend upon throughout the course of a season – especially if United are wanting to compete on all fronts.Fans are of the belief that United’s lack of European action and early cup exits are the only reasons he has been able to stay fit this campaign.He’ll be hoping his form sees him restored to the England setup for the first time since Thomas Tuchel took the reins in the coming months. Should he make the World Cup squad, it’ll be yet another tournament whereby United chiefs will be anxiously watching on, praying that Shaw avoids injury.Balde, on the other hand, is one of the most highly-rated full-backs on the continent at only 22 years of age.He worked his way through La Masia academy to become a mainstay for Barcelona, with his consistent showings prompting the attention of transfer chiefs at Old Trafford.What Romano is hearing about United-linked BaldeYet, it’s pretty safe to say that the Catalan giants have no desire to part ways with their starlet prematurely.“At the moment, all I can say is that Barcelona absolutely count on Balde,” said Romano on YouTube. “They see Balde as a crucial part of the project. They believe internally at Barca that Balde has huge potential, so he’s not the final product yet. “He’s very young, and Barcelona believe that he can learn and develop a lot. At this stage, I don’t think Barcelona have any intention to let Balde go to Manchester United.”