Manchester United have expressed interest in signing Real Sociedad’s left-winger Ander Barrenetxea to reinforce their attack next summer, according to Fichajes.
Basque football clubs are renowned for developing and deploying the majority of their academy players in the first team.
While Athletic Bilbao has taken plaudits for this over the years, Sociedad are another club that has not only put faith in their academy players but also in their coaches, as Imanol Alguacil coached the first team from 2018 to 2025 after impressing in the youth set-up.
For the players, Sociedad has 16 players from their renowned Zubieta academy in the first team, which is among the highest numbers in the top five leagues.
Along with Mikel Oyazarbal, Jon Martín, Jon Gorrotxategi and Aritz Elustondo, Barrenetxea is another academy star currently shining for the first team.
The 24-year-old debuted for Sociedad in the 1-0 defeat to Alavés on 22 December 2018, becoming the club’s youngest debutant since 1934 at 16 years and 359 days old.
Since then, he has made 233 appearances for the San Sebastián-based outfit, netting 28 goals and providing 18 assists while also playing a key role in this season’s historic Copa del Rey title triumph.
Now, according to Fichajes, Barrenetxea’s performances have piqued the interest of several clubs, but Man Utd are the ‘most determined’ club in the race for the left winger.
Barrenetxea to Man Utd
The report adds that the Red Devils are looking to reinforce their attack with wingers that can make an immediate impact and have identified the 24-year-old as a viable option.
United are now accelerating efforts to sign Barrenetxea, with the Spanish outlet adding that the 13-time Premier League champions are readying a formal £52m offer to secure the Spanish international and, if an agreement is not reached, are also willing to pay his full £65m release clause.
With Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Joshua Zirkzee, and Rasmus Højlund all expected to depart permanently, United are likely to require greater attacking depth ahead of next season.
The possible departures of all four forwards would significantly ease pressure on both the squad list and the wage structure, creating room for fresh additions in attack.
Although Barrenetxea may not arrive with the profile of a marquee signing, the winger could still develop into an extremely useful option within the squad next season.
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