Spanish outlet Sport has revealed that Arsenal are among the clubs from England monitoring the contract situation of Barcelona full-back Alejandro Balde.
Balde’s contract with the Blaugrana expires in 2024 and while he has already agreed on a new deal with the Spanish giants, it cannot be made official yet because of La Liga’s FFP rules. Barcelona have hit the end of the road in their salary limits and must now sell or make room in their salary margin before they can register Balde’s new contract.
The 19-year-old is enjoying his breakthrough season at Spotify Camp Nou, the result of which he was called up by Luis Enrique for the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Barca are keen on holding on to their prospect and want to solve the situation by the end of this month, and according to Sport, Balde’s entourage don’t want to wait until the end of the season for a salary hike.
The situation has alerted clubs here in England as Sport claims that Arsenal are showing an interest in signing Balde if his contract situation isn’t resolved soon. His agent, Jorge Mendes, has reportedly hinted to Barca that they could always sell him if they are to raise funds, however, the Gunners could face competition for the £13m-rated defender as Newcastle United are also keeping tabs on the youngster.
Our View
Balde is currently one of the best young defensive prospects in Europe. He has proved himself as a reliable starter under Xavi and it is understandable why the Spanish outfit wants to keep him.
Arsenal could potentially complete a fascinating piece of business if they do manage to sign Balde and that is because of his ability to play on either side of the defence. Not to forget, he can also play as a winger if required but his main strength includes his overlapping runs and crossing. Balde is also solid defensively and has the pace and physicality to succeed in England.
It remains to be seen what the outcome of this saga is but Balde is seemingly keen to remain at Barcelona so it looks like it will be difficult for Arsenal to lure him to North London any time soon.
