In Barcelona, Alejandro Balde was touted as the replacement for Jordi Alba.
After making his club debut at 17 during the 2021-22 season, he quickly earned prominence under Xavi Hernandez, so much so that he benched Alba, a club legend and one of the best left-backs in the world.
Balde’s relentless speed on the wing helped the Catalan club massively in driving the ball through traffic and providing overlaps.
On the other hand, his IQ in marking defenders in 1v1 situations made him a great asset on the defensive end as well.
His performances even prompted the Catalan club to lock him up with a 1 Billion Euros (837.9 M pounds) release clause.
But that phase of Balde is in the rearview as his situation has deteriorated to a large extent.
In the last few months, Balde has faced serious issues with his form and momentum. Furthermore, Balde’s issues with a discomfort from pubalgia and a hamstring injury has largely hampered his tempo of late.
Head coach Hansi Flick hasn’t shown much confidence in the player with Balde fielding just 28 minutes this season so far, and is now also reported to be moving towards an exit in the upcoming winter transfer window.
According to Sport, Balde’s agent Jorge Mendes has offered the left-back to Serie A club AS Roma. The same source states that a possible loan deal until the season end is being explored right now, which includes a buy clause for Roma in the summer transfer window.
Due to his deteriorating form, Balde hasn’t received much confidence in the national team. Head coach Luis de la Feunte left him out of Spanish team for FIFA World Cup 2026 as well. This move amid such a situation can give Balde a fresh start in Italy and help him to regain his form.
At the moment, Balde is well below the pecking order with Xavi Espart’s emergence and Joao Cancelo’s permanent move in the summer transfer window.
Barca sporting director Deco hasn’t hesitated to loan out players, particularly in the last few months and also sent Ronald Araujo to Liverpool FC.
With options already available with Barca for the full-back positions, Balde, currently valued at 33.5M Pounds can be a good departure at this moment. The Catalan club largely needs a centre-back to add more depth in that position. The offer would facilitate a sell for Balde in the summer as well , which would relieve the club of a financial load as well.
