Since replacing club legend Jordi Alba as Xavi’s starting left back, Alejandro Balde has gone from strength to strength, attracting the attention of some of Europe’s best teams. According to a report in Mundo Deportivo this morning, the Barcelona man has rejected an approach from treble-winning English side Manchester City, a deal that would have given him a nice boost in his wages.
Balde was a key component of the title-winning team at Barca last season.
The 19-year-old appeared in 33 La Liga games, scoring one goal and assisting 6. When Xavi played a false winger to pack the midfield, it left plenty of space for Balde to run into, and he did just that. His progressive carries and crossing improved as the season went on, and he’s now considered one of the premier talents in world football.
Defensively Balde is as sound as it gets, with plenty of pace, good positioning and the patience to not dive into tackles and either get beaten or pick up unnecessary cards.
Alejandro Balde’s contract situation
Balde’s contract is set to expire in 2024, but according to multiple reports in MD, a new deal has already been agreed that will keep the Barcelona native in Catalonia until 2027 or 2028.
Barca is waiting for a margin in the financial fair player agreement to register Balde’s new deal, but there is no danger of any complications with the Spanish international keen to continue his career at Barcelona.
He’s so set on staying with the Blaugrana that he wasn’t interested in hearing the deal on offer from Manchester City, with him communicating to his agent Jorge Mendes that he was happy where he was.
Manchester City’s financial power is the envy of the world and in most cases they can simply offer more money, fortunately for us and world football, not every player is solely motivated by financial gain.