"He has just signed the contract" - Fabrizio Romano confirms another Barcelona exit this transfer window

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the exit of midfielder Alex Collado from Barcelona. The 23-year-old has joined fellow La Liga outfit Elche on a season-long loan deal.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the loan deal does not include any obligation to make the move permanent next summer. The Italian journalist tweeted the following in that regard:

"Alex Collado leaves Barça on loan, he has just signed the contract to join Elche until June 2023, no buy option included. Elche will cover 50% of the salary."

Alex Collado has been at Barcelona since the summer of 2010. The attacker graduated from the club's famous youth academy La Masia. Collado made his first-team debut towards the end of the 2018-19 season. Since then, he has gone on to make just one more appearance for the Catalan giants' senior squad.

Alex Collado spent the second half of last season on loan at Granada CF. He made 17 appearances for the side and contributed two goals and an assist. Granada, however, finished 18th in the league and were relegated from La Liga.

It makes sense for Alex Collado to leave Barcelona on loan in search of regular first-team football. Due to the Catalan giants' depth in midfield and attack, it was highly unlikely for manager Xavi Hernandez to give game time to an unproven youngster. Collado has proved that he is capable of playing week-in-week-out for a lower-table La Liga side.

As things stand, Barcelona have the likes of Pedri, Gavi and Raphinha capable of playing in positions suitable for Alex Collado.

Barcelona only managed a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano in their opening La Liga game of the 2022-23 season. This was despite the attacking talent at their disposal, which included Robert Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele.

Barcelona have been linked with a move for Chelsea full-back

The Catalan giants have been linked with a move for Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Spanish left-back will be signing a two-year deal with an option to extend the contract by another year.

According to SPORT, however, there has been a delay in the completion of the transfer. Chelsea are keen to include Alonso as part of a deal which could see Frenkie de Jong join Stamford Bridge.

It is worth mentioning that Chelsea have already signed a replacement for the outgoing Marcos Alonso. The Blues have signed Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of around £62 million.