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Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is believed to be pushing one of his players towards Manchester United in January after shock footage emerged of the coach with Frenkie de Jong.

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De Jong was long linked with United when Erik ten Hag was in charge at Old Trafford, but the Manchester club have long since moved past the Netherlands star.

However, the Dutchman does appear to be playing a central role in United signing another player from the Camp Nou club after images from DAZN appeared to show Flick getting ready to deploy the 29-year-old in an unfamiliar role while on the sidelines of the weekend’s La Liga match against Atletico Madrid.

It is a call that has only fuelled the belief that a major transfer move is coming at Barcelona.

Balde brutally snubbed by Flick again

Alejandro Balde is set to be the player that Flick sacrifices in January, having effectively frozen the full-back out of first-team action this season.

The 23-year-old Spain international has only played 124 minutes of football across five matches for the Blaugrana and has not started a single game.

Even in the wake of Xavi Espart’s injury, Flick has preferred to start Joao Cancelo at left-back, with rookie Brian Farinas occupying the right-back berth.

But the biggest indication that Balde is on his way out arrived during the weekend’s game against Atleti.

Farinas was withdrawn at half-time, and rather than shift Cancelo across to the right with Balde playing on the left, as would be the logical move, Flick instead asked De Jong about playing as a full-back.

DAZN images showed the Barcelona coach speaking to De Jong, who in turn told Gavi that he was going to play as a full-back.

In the words of Mundo Deportivo: “Some of the players couldn’t believe it.”

Among those listening on was Balde, who was not given a minute of action in the 2-1 victory.

Door opens for Man Utd to sign Balde in January

This is vital for Man Utd, who are seeking to sign a left-back in the January window due to a chronic lack of cover in the area. Balde, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €42.9 million, has been seen as one of their leading options.

Luke Shaw is currently out injured, forcing Diogo Dalot into that slot. In turn, Leny Yoro has been frequently asked to play as a right-back, with the young Frenchman looking uncomfortable in that role.

While the immediate focus at Old Trafford is on the future of manager Michael Carrick, the January transfer window is increasingly coming into view.

Major changes are required, and whoever is the manager at that point will need a stronger squad than the one currently on offer to climb the table and having United fighting for European football once again.