Why Bellerin’s Barcelona downfall could cause transfer concern for Man Utd
Suraj Radia
- 31 Oct 2022 14:25 CDT
- 3 min read
Barcelona will prioritise the signing of a right-back in January after being left unconvinced by summer arrival Hector Bellerin.
Bellerin signed on deadline day after having his contract terminated by Arsenal, but Barca have already decided that his deal will not be renewed when it expires at the end of the season.
A report in AS describes Bellerin as having ‘very few defensive resources and basic deficiencies in high-demand matches’ and claims Barca only signed him as a last-resort, due to him arriving on a free and agreeing to a salary of just over €400,000 – the lowest in the squad.
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Barca are believed to have accepted that Bellerin is not capable of covering the right-back position, having played just 141 minutes this season, with 19-year-old left-back Alejandro Balde often being preferred there instead.
With starting right-back Sergi Roberto preferring to play in midfield, the club have ‘urgently’ decided they will look to strengthen their problem position in January.
Diogo Dalot is a top target and Barcelona could test Manchester United’s resolve, knowing the 23-year-old is out of contract in the summer, although the Premier League side have an option to extend it for a further year.
DEFENSIVE CHASE: United to sign right-back in January
Barca failed to sign Juan Foyth of Villarreal and Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta during the summer, while Dortmund’s high asking price for Thomas Meunier ultimately led to the ‘low cost operation’ for Bellerin.
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The right-back merry-go-round
United are keen to keep hold of Dalot and boss Erik ten Hag praised the Portuguese international’s development but admitted that the club need ‘two good full-backs.’
Ten Hag said: “He [Dalot] has the breath to go up and down [the flank] so the development is really good, but I have to mention, I think a club like Man Utd need two good full-backs because we have a lot of games to cover.”
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka seemingly having no future at Old Trafford, United themselves are also said to be in the market for a right-back in January, with Denzel Dumfries of Inter and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong among the reported targets.
Dalot is thought to be interested in a move to Barcelona and could still be sold even if United activate the option in his contract, potentially paving the way for a replacement to be signed.
