Chelsea ready to offer £43m to sign La Liga star linked with a move to Manchester United - Reports
Chelsea are reportedly ready to make a £43 million offer for Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde, who has also been linked with a switch to Manchester United. As per Spanish publication Nacional (via Football 365), the Blues have moved the quickest to sign the coveted Spain international.
Balde has emerged as one of the brightest young prospects at left-back in Europe over the past couple of years. However, his form has fallen off a cliff this season and he is ruled out for the rest of the season, having suffered a tendon rupture in January.
As claimed by the aforementioned report, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is a huge admirer of the 20-year-old. The Blues are reportedly in the market for a reliable left-back in the summer with Balde being their primary target.
The west London side are eager to sign a new left-back because of their vice-captain Ben Chilwell's injury problems. The former Leicester City full-back has missed 19 games with injuries this season and 89 games since his move to Stamford Bridge in 2020.
Meanwhile, Marc Cucurella has been a major disappointment at Stamford Bridge since his £62 million move from Brighton and has played just 1154 minutes of first-team football this campaign. Chelsea also have Ian Maatsen as an option at left-back, who is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
Balde is also thought to be highly regarded by Manchester United, with part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe being a huge fan of the Barcelona youngster. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool are also reportedly monitoring the Spain international's situation at Camp Nou.
The Manchester United target has scored once and provided one assist in 28 appearances for Barcelona this season while helping his side keep nine clean sheets. He has so far made 79 appearances for the Blaugrana and has been capped seven times for Spain.
Manchester United plotting a move for Chelsea and Arsenal target: Reports
Manchester United have reportedly joined the race to sign Brentford attacker Ivan Toney. The 28-year-old has been a player in demand in recent months and has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Toney recently returned from an eight-month ban for breaching betting regulations and has impressed since. He has made 10 appearances since returning to the first team, scoring four goals in the process.
Toney has established himself as one of the deadliest centre forwards in the Premier League since Brentford made their way to the Premier League. He has scored 36 goals in 76 Premier League appearances for the Bees while providing nine assists.