Chelsea could make a move for Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde
Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde (h/t Sport), whose contract expires in 2024, (Transfermarkt), Nevertheless, the Catalan giants are eager to extend his deal.
While they are not yet finished, negotiations are moving in the right direction. In order to register this new contract, however, it would be required to get around the wage cap issues.
Balde has developed into one of Barcelona’s top full-backs and has appeared in every game under Xavi Hernandez ahead of Marcos Alonso, and Jordi Alba. Barca have been working for months to formalise his extension until 2027 and expect to be in a position to announce it soon.
Chelsea have also struggled down the left flank due to Marc Cucurella’s ineffectiveness at left-back and Ben Chilwell’s injury-plagued season, but both players are currently back in form.
Chilwell has performed admirably at left back since returning from his injury, while Cucurella has been moved to the centre of the defence and has been dominant. Balde, nevertheless, could be an appealing target because of his age and potential.
He has all the qualities a left-back should have, including speed and the strength to challenge defenders, but he still has to improve his last pass. He is still young, so he will learn with time. Moreover, he can also double-up as a right-back, as he has done this season.
Then again, we have to make sure that we don’t overload our team with three first-team left-backs. One of Chilwell or Cucurella being offloaded would make sense if we want to bring in Balde, because he will surely want playing time here.
Graham Potter would have a problem deciding who to play because all three of them are in excellent form currently.
Cucurella and Chilwell, both in their mid-20s, have taken care of our left-back problems for years to come. Cucurella is gradually fitting in, and once Thiago Silva is well, he will soon move to the left-back position.
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Nevertheless, we should think about signing the Barcelona left-back in the future when there is an actual need for it. By that time, he will have gained more experience, and it would be terrific to see Balde and Mykhaylo Mudryk combining down the left flank.
