Arsenal are in for a busy transfer window this winter as they are looking to strengthen all positions given the kind of season they are having. The Gunners are sitting atop of the Premier League, staring at an unprecedented title triumph ahead of Manchester City who are five points adrift and second in the table. Arsenal are also through to the Round of 16 in the Europa League and have high chances of progressing to the fourth round of the FA Cup as they face Oxford United in the third round.
With fixtures coming thick and fast, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called for reinforcements as the club are eyeing Barcelona wonderkid Alejandro Balde for a move. The versatile left-back has caught the attention of the Gunners after having enjoyed a breakthrough season so far with the Catalans, which helped him make the cut to Spain’s World Cup squad as well.
Balde’s stalling extension talks at Barcelona have excited Arsenal
Barcelona are known for producing best talents through their famous academy, the La Masia. Balde too is a graduate of the academy, who has followed in the footsteps of Golden Ball winner Gavi to make it big with the Catalan club. However, opportunities were quite rare and limited for him during previous seasons despite impressing with the youth sides, and the in-form Jordi Alba being the undisputed starter for the first team at left-back.
However, with the veteran left-back’s form fading away, Balde burst on to the scene this season, making 19 appearances in all competitions so far. The 19-year-old has even left Alba behind in the pecking order through his 14 starts over the 33-year-old. That helped him crack Luis Enrique’s Spain squad for the World Cup, wherein he went on to feature in all of the La Roja’s four games, accumulating 124 minutes.
However, Balde’s versatility, which allows him to play as both a left-back and a right-back when needed, is one of his greatest assets. While he has started ahead of Alba at the left-back this season, the majority of his 19 games across all competitions have come at right-back as a result of Sergi Roberto’s recurring injuries. This has allowed the pacey teenager to play in as many games as possible for Xavi’s team, collecting 3 assists across his 14 starts.
But the problem remains with his contract extension with the club, who have in place a deal ready for their La Masia asset. His current deal runs until the summer of 2024, which Barcelona want to extend by another four years, with a release clause of €1 billion as confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. However, La Liga’s strict salary cap rules are delaying Balde’s extension, and according to SPORT, Arsenal are ready to capitalise on the situation.
Although the Gunners have Kieran Tierney in that position, and summer recruit Oleksandr Zinchenko too quite capable of covering that position, Balde’s versatility has impressed the London outfit who plan to use him on the right where centre-back Ben White is playing in a makeshift role. The other options, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Cedric Soares have been unable to provide an adequate backup, forcing Arsenal to scout Balde.
Moreover, the player himself has not closed on the exit door at Camp Nou, since his no progress with the contract extension talks. According to latest reports, Barcelona are currently cleaning up space on their salary cap for Balde’s new deal by selling a number of fringe players in Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and even the likes of Ferran Torres and Franck Kessi, who only joined the club last year. Until then, Arsenal are keeping close tabs on his situation and are ready to strike at the very first opportunity to swoop in for the left-back.