Michael Carrick's side had explored several options at left-back throughout the summer, including Club Brugge's Joaquin Seys, Newcastle United's Lewis Hall and Racing Santander's Jorge Salinas, whose €16million release clause went unactivated by any of his suitors.
Manchester United's efforts ultimately centred on Balde in the closing hours of the window, but the move collapsed for a familiar reason: United wanted a loan, and Barcelona wanted a sale.
The 22-year-old has fallen behind summer signing Joao Cancelo and academy graduate Xavi Espart in Hansi Flick's pecking order, with Espart having played every minute of the season so far and already contributing two assists.
Flick had made clear to Balde, both publicly and privately, that he would not have a significant role this season, and Barcelona made the player available for transfer as a result.
United refused to give up on deadline day itself, exhausting their options in an attempt to find a workable structure, but their preference for a loan deal did not suit Barcelona's need for permanent income.
Balde, for his part, had no intention of leaving Camp Nou and wanted to continue fighting for his place, according to AS, leaving both his preferred loan suitors and Barcelona's demand for a sale unable to find common ground.
The outcome leaves Balde's immediate situation looking difficult, given he remains the only outfield player at Barcelona yet to feature for a single minute this season. For United, meanwhile, the left-back position remains a concern heading into the campaign, with Luke Shaw the club's only recognised senior option and 19-year-old Harry Amass his sole back-up, while Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui can both cover the position without being specialists there.
The failed pursuit caps a frustrating window for United in that specific area of the squad, with the club's earlier priority target, Newcastle's Lewis Hall, having been off the table for some time before deadline day even arrived.
A weekend meeting involving United, Barcelona and Balde's agent Jorge Mendes failed to resolve the structural disagreement over the deal, and with Barcelona confirming their business for the summer effectively complete elsewhere, United's window closes with the exact problem they had been trying to solve since the early days of pre-season still unresolved.