Manchester United Target Jorge Salinas as Barcelona Hesitates
Manchester United’s rebuild under Michael Carrick shows no sign of easing up. Six new arrivals are already through the door, yet the club’s recruitment department is still pushing hard – and their latest target is a teenager causing a stir across Spain.
Jorge Salinas, just 19, has gone from academy hopeful at Real Racing Club de Santander to one of La Liga’s most talked‑about young defenders in the space of a few months. He made his first‑team debut in 2024. Since then, his rise has been sharp, his reputation sharper.
Barcelona have tracked him. United have too. Only one of them, though, looks ready to pay the price.
According to Spanish outlet SPORT, United are prepared to trigger Salinas’ €16m (£14m) release clause. Barcelona, by contrast, are refusing to go that far, wary of committing that level of fee for a defender still in the early stages of his career. United see opportunity where Barca see risk.
They are not alone in the chase. Atletico Madrid are lurking in the background, waiting for one domino to fall before they move for another. Reports in Spain, relayed by Sport Witness, claim Atleti are poised to act on Salinas once Matteo Ruggeri completes his switch to Aston Villa.
Villa, it is said, have struck an agreement worth €18m plus €6m in bonuses – around £20m – with Los Rojiblancos for Ruggeri. When that deal is signed off, Atletico intend to turn their attention to Racing’s young centre‑back. A three‑way tug-of-war is forming: United with cash in hand, Barca hesitating, Atleti plotting.
Inside Racing, the tone is very different. They are trying to keep their feet on the ground while Europe’s elite circle.
Head coach Jorge Salinas – no relation to his namesake defender – has been adamant this week that both Jorge Salinas the player and Gustavo Puerta want to stay put this summer. For him, the noise outside the club jars with the reality he sees every day on the training pitch.
“Their professionalism doesn't surprise me. What surprises me is that people are constantly talking about the departure of two of our players [Salinas and Puerta], when they have contracts and are our players," he said, underlining how central they are to his plans.
He doubled down on their importance, and on their own stance.
“They're very important to us. I don't want them to leave. And they show every day that they don't either.
“But we know how this world works and there are release clauses. If a team comes along and pays the clause, they cease to be our players."
That last line is the crux of the matter. Romance says keep the academy jewel. The contract says something else.
Racing sporting director Chema Aragon struck a similar note last week. He is fully aware that the club’s position, however firm in public, can be shattered in a moment if one of the game’s heavyweights decides to act decisively.
"There's little you can do if a giant appears," Aragon admitted. "We value the assets we have, we consider them important.
“For the club, at this time, there is no other option than to try to strengthen the team and not weaken it by losing stars. The reality is that the club that wants him has to come along with an offer."
That is the tension running through this story. Racing want to build, not sell. The big clubs want to buy, not wait.
United, operating with a clear brief to refresh and lower the age profile of Carrick’s squad, look ready to test just how strong Racing’s resistance really is. Barcelona, for now, are watching from a distance. Atletico are preparing their move once Ruggeri’s future is settled.
The numbers are clear. The clause is clear. The question now is just as clear: which of Europe’s giants will be first to put the money on the table and rip one of Racing’s brightest talents out of Santander?
