Barcelona are facing a summer of intrigue this year, with the club briefing that they will be able to make major signings again. Following two years of relatively minor alterations to the squad, the possible exit of Robert Lewandowski necessitates the signing of a new number nine, and the club seem to think they are also in need of a central defender.
The question is whether to do so, they may need to make sales. In recent weeks, it has been suggested that Barcelona could visit the idea of selling defenders Ronald Araujo, Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde. In the case of Balde, it has been something of a strange trajectory. After excelling under Xavi Hernandez, he stagnated two years ago due to injuries, and under Hansi Flick, had a positive first season too. He has struggled to hit the same heights.
The Catalan side are seemingly open to the idea of cashing in on Balde, with Joao Cancelo usurping him in the pecking order of late. Balde’s lack of end product, and his struggles to create danger against deeper defences has been criticised for some time, and this season, there has been little sign of his marauding presence coming from deep either.
While defensively he is relatively sound, neither is he the most reliable in that regard either. Gerard Martin, who originally started as his back-up, has on occasion been trusted due to the more consistent defensive effort he offers. Overall, Balde has shown some promising heights, but his inconsistencies have made him a dispensable part of the side.
Selling Balde could help fund wider changes to the squad, being just 22 years old, and is someone they may be able to fetch decent money for. That said, signing a replacement, especially a long-term one that matches up to Balde in terms of quality, is unlikely to leave Barcelona much left over in terms of what they can spend on other positions. If they are not convinced by his performances though, and do not see him getting back to his best, it would make sense for Barcelona to invest time and energy in another left-back.
Director of Football Deco would be under pressure to thread the needle somewhat; finding a buyer to pay a good price after a disappointing season, and finding a better or similar replacement for less money at the same time. Originally, it was thought Jofre Torrents would push for senior minutes this season, but he has been ruled out with injury for much of the last few months.
