Sale of 20-year-old Barcelona star not ruled out for the summer

Barcelona are likely to try and cash in on one or two of their assets this summer, with plenty of talk surrounding the futures of Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong. However one of the more surprise candidates for a move suggested has been Alejandro Balde, just over six months on from his breakout season.

Balde, 20, broke through and won the starting job for Barcelona last season ahead of Jordi Alba, but flattered to deceive this season, following a switch of style and formation. In January, he sustained an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season.

According to Matteo Moretto, as he explained on The Daily Briefing, Balde is likely to have interest this summer, and while he did say there was nothing in the pipeline, ‘Jorge Mendes knows how to manage these situations’.

If Barcelona are struggling for cash as the window goes on, they may well be more tempted to cash in on Balde. Manchester City were reportedly interested in him last summer, and despite being described as the future for Barcelona at left-back, he has not hit the heights he managed last year.