During his time on the FC Barcelona bench, Hansi Flick has shown a propensity to use as much of his available squad as possible, to keep all the players in top shape so they can contribute at their best level whenever the need arises. This is also the case this season, as the German coach has been rotating his side well in this early stage of the season.
However, one player whose situation is raising some doubts is the fullback Alejandro Balde, who has lost a lot of prominence over the last year. During the last season, he lost his starting spot to Joao Cancelo, when the Portuguese fullback was signed on loan in January. This is once again the case this season, as the Catalans signed Cancelo permanently during the summer, and he remains the starter on the left flank for Flick.
In fact, Balde has played only 28 minutes in total this season, 12 in La Liga against Racing Club and 16 in the Champions League against PSG. However, he still retains some demand in the market and several clubs are keeping a close eye to take advantage of his situation at Barcelona.
In this regard, [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20261024/1004242696/roma-atenta-balde-enero.html) cites the Italian outlet Il Messaggero to claim that AS Roma are one such side. The Romans are looking to significantly strengthen their team in the upcoming winter transfer window and they are seeing the Blaugrana fullback as one of their targets.
After having seen his prominence decrease to such an extent, [the player himself might be more ready for a change of scenery in January](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/barcelona-defender-alejandro-balde-could-seek-january-transfer-amid-limited-minutes/), and the Serie A side wants to be well-positioned in case this turns out to be the situation.
For now, there is still some time till January, and it remains to be seen whether Alejandro Balde’s situation changes at Barcelona or Roma or another club would be able to pull him away during the upcoming winter.