Barcelona's refusal boosts Manchester United's pursuit of Racing Santander's Salinas

Manchester United received a boost in signing Racing Santander defender Jorge Salinas after Newcastle rejected their approach for Lewis Hall, with Barcelona unwilling to trigger his release clause. United sought Hall to compete with Luke Shaw at left-back, but Newcastle refused to sell another key player after losing Gordon, Tonali, and near Bruno exit. Consequently, United shifted to Salinas, a 19-year-old versatile defender with a €16 million release clause. Barcelona remain interested but refuse to pay the release clause, making United favourites. Salinas impressed scouts at the Under-19 European Championships and has three years left on his Racing contract.