Alejandro Balde to Leave Barcelona as Mendes Seeks New Club

Alejandro Balde’s time at FC Barcelona is heading for the exit door. According to Jijantes FC, the 22-year-old left-back has decided to leave the club this summer, with agent Jorge Mendes already working on a move in the final days of the transfer window.

Mendes has been in Barcelona this week, not just for routine talks. His main task now is clear: find a new destination for one of La Masia’s brightest recent graduates, a player who only a year ago looked nailed on as the future of the left flank at the Olympic Stadium.

From starter to expendable

The turning point came last season. Balde lost his starting spot in the second half of the campaign to Joao Cancelo, and that demotion never really stopped hurting his status.

Barcelona then doubled down on Cancelo, re-signing the Portuguese full-back on a permanent deal this summer. The message was hard to ignore. Every time Cancelo’s name came up, so did the question: where does that leave Balde?

Publicly, the answer from the player was always the same. He wanted to stay. He wanted to fight. A La Masia product, committed to proving he belonged in the XI of his boyhood club.

But the latest round of conversations between Balde, Mendes and the club hierarchy has changed the landscape. The defender has now opted to look for a “new adventure” in his career, and Barcelona are ready to listen.

Flick’s doubts surface

Hansi Flick’s view has been central to this shift. The Barcelona coach has harboured doubts about Balde’s current level and his suitability for the role he demands from his full-backs, and he did little to hide it in his press conference earlier today.

“It’s a difficult question. Balde has a lot of quality,” Flick said. “For me it is important, as I have said before, you have to have the condition to compete in a home position and this I want to see in each player.”

He pushed the point further: “I see what they do every day, which shows me that they are ready to play at the highest level. In the end, we will only succeed as a team. We need everyone 100% committed to us.”

Those words landed like a warning. Inside the club, they read as confirmation that Balde was no longer untouchable. Outside, they sounded like the prelude to exactly what is now unfolding.

There is even a real chance Balde will not make the squad list for tomorrow’s La Liga opener against Elche, a striking signal of where he stands in the pecking order.

Manchester United circle, Milan monitor

As Balde opens the door to a departure, the market is already reacting.

Manchester United have shown concrete interest. Fabrizio Romano confirmed earlier this week that the Premier League side contacted Mendes to ask about Balde’s situation and the conditions for a potential deal. United’s need for a dynamic left-back has been no secret, and the opportunity to move for a 22-year-old with Barcelona pedigree has clearly caught their attention.

AC Milan have also been mentioned in the race. The Spaniard has been offered to the Italian club, but his price tag – over €40 million – could complicate any move to San Siro. For Milan, that fee is a serious obstacle rather than a simple detail.

Barcelona, though, are ready. If a suitable offer arrives, they are prepared to cash in on a homegrown defender who, not long ago, was viewed as part of the club’s long-term core.

So the situation is now brutally simple: Balde wants out, Mendes is on the hunt, and Europe’s elite are watching. Where the left-back lines up next could say plenty about both his ambition – and Barcelona’s willingness to let another La Masia product walk away.