Alejandro Balde of FC Barcelona
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Alejandro Balde remains a Barcelona player this season, but the left-back’s situation could have looked very different had the club started working on his departure earlier in the summer.
It is known that Barcelona were open to listening to offers for Balde and communicated that position to his representative at the beginning of the transfer window.
Yet no serious operation developed until the closing stages, leaving too little time to turn interest into a completed transfer.
For what it is worth, Balde himself never pushed for an exit.
In fact, the 22-year-old, whose Barcelona contract runs until 2028, wanted to stay and believed he could still convince Hansi Flick that he deserved a more important role.
However, Barcelona were looking for solutions, knowing that he does not feature prominently in Flick’s plans.
Barcelona left it too late
The summer produced plenty of discussion about Balde’s future, but very little concrete action.
According to SPORT, Barcelona only seriously began exploring possible destinations during the final ten days of the window, when the sporting department started looking for solutions that would also suit the player.
One of the more ambitious ideas was a swap involving Federico Dimarco, with Barcelona exploring a deal with Inter Milan.
Alejandro Balde of FC Barcelona
Barcelona could not find a suitable destination for Alejandro Balde. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)
The Italian club rejected the proposal, while separate conversations with Manchester United also failed to develop into anything substantial.
By that stage, there was simply not enough time to build an already complicated transfer from scratch.
The situation was made more difficult by Barcelona’s own transfer constraints.
With the window closing and little room to explore options, the club could not force an outcome that had never properly taken shape earlier in the summer.
Flick still has reservations about Balde
The bigger issue is not necessarily Barcelona’s failure to find a buyer. It is Flick’s assessment of the player.
The German has never questioned Balde’s natural ability, but what concerns Flick is whether Balde is consistently meeting the demands of his football.
The coach places enormous importance on intensity, commitment and tactical discipline, and from his perspective, Balde has not yet reached the required level in those areas.
That was reflected during pre-season. Balde received opportunities, but other options were prioritised in the full-back positions.
Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde of FC Barcelona
Barcelona were open to listening to offers for Balde. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Furthermore, Flick also values players capable of covering multiple roles.
On that note, Xavi Espart fits that profile, while the manager pushed for Joao Cancelo, which further complicated Balde’s route into the starting XI.
As a result, a meeting between Flick and Balde in August ended with the coach advising the defender to look for regular football elsewhere.
Staying could still work in Balde’s favour
Yet there is an important distinction between being available for transfer and being unwanted.
Barcelona were prepared to consider offers, but Balde never made it clear that he wanted to leave, while the club also failed to find a destination that worked before the deadline.
As a result, the left-back stays.
He begins the season as a substitute within Flick’s rotation, but that does not mean his campaign is destined to remain on the fringes.
A long season brings injuries, suspensions, fixture congestion and changes in form and those circumstances could give Balde opportunities that do not currently appear to be there.
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