Manchester United have entered the race to sign Spanish left-back Jorge Salinas, potentially threatening Barcelona’s plans to recruit the highly rated 19-year-old from Racing Santander.
Barcelona regard Salinas as their leading target to strengthen the left side of their defence, but United are prepared to pay the player’s €16m release clause in full. That financial commitment could prove decisive, particularly as Barcelona are currently offering no more than €8m for the Cantabrian defender.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Manchester United have identified Salinas as an alternative to Lewis Hall, with negotiations for the Newcastle player having stalled. Newcastle are reluctant to sell Hall to United because they view them as a direct rival in the Premier League.
United have been monitoring Salinas since the European Under-19 Championship in Wales last July, where Spain won the tournament after an impressive campaign. The club’s board are understood to be highly impressed by the defender and believe he is ready to compete for a first-team place immediately.
Salinas would challenge England left-back Luke Shaw for a starting position at Old Trafford. Shaw’s progress has been affected by recurring injury problems in recent seasons, increasing United’s interest in adding another option in that position.
Several English media outlets have reported that manager Michael Carrick has already approved a move for Salinas if United fail to reach a final agreement with Newcastle for Hall.
Barcelona’s interest in Salinas has not disappeared, despite sporting director Deco focusing much of his attention on reinforcing the attack. The club’s forward line has been weakened by the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford, while Ferran Torres could also leave for Paris Saint-Germain.
However, left-back remains an urgent position for Barcelona to address before the summer transfer window closes. A deal for Joao Cancelo is close to completion, but progress on Salinas’ transfer has slowed significantly in recent weeks.
That delay has allowed Manchester United to become serious contenders for a player who had already been attracting interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for several weeks.
Barcelona still have one important advantage
Barcelona’s financial difficulties mean they are unable to match United’s proposed approach. The Catalan club’s offer is understood to include €6m in guaranteed payments and a further €2m in performance-related add-ons.
Barcelona are also prepared to offer young players to Racing Santander on loan as part of an attempt to reduce the overall cost of the transfer and make negotiations easier. United, by contrast, are willing to activate the full release clause without negotiating or delaying the deal.
Salinas’ preference could nevertheless keep Barcelona in the contest. The defender dreams of playing in Barcelona’s blue-and-red shirt next season and would rather move to Camp Nou than join any other club, including Manchester United.
That personal choice may not be enough if United formally trigger the release clause. In that situation, Racing Santander would be required to accept the bid without further negotiations, leaving Salinas to choose between his long-held ambition of joining Barcelona and the more lucrative opportunity offered by the Premier League.
