Man Utd linked with Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde in Monday transfer gossip
Alejandro Balde could leave Barcelona in January, drawing interest from Manchester United, according to Monday's transfer gossip published on 1 November 2026. The claim about the 23-year-old Spain international was reported by Record, via Marca (in Portuguese).
If Balde departs, the column says that could create room at Barcelona to sign 28-year-old Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez from Manchester United (Mirror). The same round-up reports Real Madrid are targeting Brighton's 24-year-old Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen as a future replacement for 34-year-old Belgium stopper Thibaut Courtois (Fichajes - in Spanish).
Manchester United-linked items in the bulletin include a suggestion the club could sell 32-year-old Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes rather than allow him to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires (Mail). The piece also states 29-year-old England forward Marcus Rashford will explore a move away if he does not receive regular starts once he returns from injury (Football Insider). Separately, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United are named among clubs tracking Villarreal's 22-year-old United States defender Alex Freeman (Football Insider).
Liverpool have reportedly identified Nottingham Forest's 24-year-old Brazil defender Murillo and Borussia Dortmund's 26-year-old Germany centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck as eventual replacements for 35-year-old Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk (Caught Offside). The article frames both players as potential long-term options should Liverpool seek a successor to van Dijk.
Tottenham remain linked with Nottingham Forest's England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and are said to be prepared to make a move for the 26-year-old in January (Football Insider). The round-up also states Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to pursue Spain right-back Pedro Porro, and are not deterred by Tottenham's asking price of around £62m for the 27-year-old (Sport - in Spanish).
On attacking targets, Monaco's United States striker Folarin Balogun is reported as a player who could leave in January with Manchester United among potential destinations for the 25-year-old (Teamtalk). The summary adds that Arsenal face competition from AC Milan, Aston Villa and Roma to sign 20-year-old Brazil forward Endrick from Real Madrid (Calcio Mercato - in Italian).
The items summarised in the Monday column were attributed to a range of outlets, including Record (via Marca), Mirror, Caught Offside, Fichajes, Mail, Football Insider, Sport, Teamtalk and Calcio Mercato.
