Barcelona monitoring 21-year-old Real Madrid, Manchester United defensive target | OneFootball

As reported earlier this week, FC Barcelona have some reservations about their options in the left-back position.

Alejandro Balde is seen as an asset but concerns remain about his defensive frailties while Gerard Martin has not done enough to convince in his debut season with the first-team setup.

As such, there is strong interest in Bayern Munich mainstay Alphonso Davies, although a move for the Canadian looks difficult, especially with his contract renewal now seeming a serious possibility.

Alvaro Carreras on the radars

Now, though, according to Portuguese outlet A BOLA (h/t SPORT), Barcelona are among a series of elite clubs tracking the progress of SL Benfica left-back Alvaro Carreras.

The Blaugrana are joined by arch-rivals Real Madrid and Premier League’s faltering giants Manchester United in monitoring the 21-year-old Spanish prospect.

Attracting major interest. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Alvaro has been at Benfica since January earlier this year, when he left Manchester United, initially on loan, before making the switch permanent in the summer.

The former Real Madrid youth academy trainee has been growing in stature at the Portuguese club this season, which has seemingly alerted teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The report states that despite Manchester United’s interest, both Barça and Madrid may hold an advantage over them in the race for the young left-back.

However, at this point, it is still unclear whether the Catalans are genuinely interested in Alvaro and if they are prepared to make any concrete moves for him.

It must not be forgotten that Barcelona will have Alex Valle back at the club next season once his loan stint at Celtic comes to an end. So, it remains to be seen if they are even considering the prospect of signing a new left-back as a priority.