Better Than Balde: Man Utd Make Contact to Sign Joaquin Seys

· GiveMeSport

Man Utd have made contact to sign a 'top, top talent' who is better than Alejandro Balde as an alternative to Lewis Hall.

Manchester United have made signing a new left-back their priority for 2027, with the club's plans to bolster the defence expected to come to the forefront.

In the summer of 2025, the club splashed big money on strengthening the attack, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, while goalkeeper Senne Lammens was also brought in as the new number one.

This past summer, the midfield needed to be rebuilt and was made a priority, with INEOS spending over £150m to bring in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba. But Man Utd also looked at strengthening the defence to help Michael Carrick and Luke Shaw, but failed to bring anyone in.

Lewis Hall was the club's top target but they moved too late to convince Newcastle to sell, and the England international has since signed a new long-term deal at St James' Park , essentially taking him off the market in upcoming transfer windows.

United have also been strongly linked with a move for Barcelona star Alejandro Balde, with the Spanish giants open to allowing him to move on in January on loan after he fell down Hansi Flick's pecking order in recent months.

The player is understood to be open to a move to the Premier League , but United are not entirely convinced by his injury record and the lack of game time recently, which could see him go elsewhere instead.

During the summer, a number of other options were linked to the club, with contact made for Club Brugge star Joaquin Seys too. The Belgian side opted against selling, but it's been reported that they know a big offer could force their hand, and according to TEAMtalk the club are still interested in the youngster, with contact still ongoing.

Scouts have continued to monitor his performances this season, watching him as recently as last month, and £30m is reported to be the number that would get a deal done.

Shaw has been the first-choice left-back at Old Trafford for 13 seasons now, but he is in the final year of his contract and a renewal seems unlikely considering his fitness issues and current wage.

A number of options have been looked at, with Hall still likely to be the top target. But a deal seems highly unlikely to happen considering his new contract, and now United must look at alternative options. With the names being linked, it will be hard to find one better than Seys.

The 21-year-old has recently become a Belgium international, shining at the World Cup against Lamine Yamal and being described as a 'top, top talent' by scout Jacek Kulig , and has shown his quality at both ends of the pitch at the highest level, impressing in the Champions League as well as domestically.

At £30m, there is very little downside to the deal being done. With his age, experience, quality, and price tag, he'd be an upgrade on Balde and Shaw, and would be an ideal arrival in January.

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