Culers would have raised an eyebrow earlier this week upon reading that not only are Barcelona ‘obligated to sell’ next summer, but that they were aware Alejandro Balde was one of the players that could attract a large fee from the Premier League.
The 20-year-old left-back broke into the side last season early on, benching Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso, while their confidence in Balde allowed them to send off Alba without too many concerns.
Yet after a poor start to this season, as Balde struggles to show the same burst or have the same impact, it had been noted that Barcelona were aware of specific Premier League clubs that were still interested in Balde.
Fabrizio Romano was asked by Caught Offside if there was anything to the rumours that Balde could leave.
“Balde signed new important deal at Barca in September, so, no – nothing at all,” he explained on The Daily Briefing.
“He’s a key player for Barca and his extension was another message that they want him to be a key part of the project in the future.”
Balde signed a new deal until 2028 in September with a €1b release clause, and many expect him to be the future of their left flank for much of the next decade. While a sale might give them some short-term relief in order to affront their salary limit crisis, but they would swiftly have to look for a quality replacement, and are likely to weaken their team in doing so.
