La Liga heavyweights Barcelona will reportedly be open to cashing in on 33-year-old veteran defender Jordi Alba if they receive a late offer.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Jordi Alba is expendable at Camp Nou, with Xavi Hernandez open to seeing Barcelona sell him before the summer transfer window shuts down. But a late departure seems unlikely, with no club showing serious interest in the 33-year-old veteran defender.
Jordi Alba is currently in his second stint with Barcelona after spending seven years in La Masia between 1998 and 2005. The 33-year-old returned to the Catalan club a decade ago in the wake of his exploits for Spain at UEFA Euro 2012. And the veteran defender has established himself in Barcelona folklore since then.
Alba has been top class for the most part in the past decade, turning out over 400 times for the Blaugrana. But the Spaniard has seemingly dropped down the pecking order at Camp Nou after starting only one game thus far this season for Barcelona. And according to AS, Barcelona will have no qualms about selling Alba before the summer transfer window shuts down.
The report claims that Alejandro Balde, who looked decent this past weekend against Real Valladolid, is the new first-choice left-back for Barcelona. And Xavi Hernandez will install Marcos Alonso has Balde’s deputy for the 2022/23 season, leaving Alba as the third-choice left-back for Barcelona.
That will essentially leave the 33-year-old veteran as a “permanent substitute” for Barcelona unless there is an injury crisis. And while Barcelona had cooled interest in Alonso for some time, the Chelsea defender recently rejected an approach from Atletico Madrid in the hope of sealing a late move to Camp Nou.
According to AS, Joan Laporta has reaffirmed to the Spaniard that Barcelona will launch the offensive to sign him from the west London club. So Alba’s fate for the 2022/23 season might be sealed unless a club produces an offer on deadline day.
Barcelona will not stop the 33-year-old veteran from leaving if an attractive offer arrives on the table. But for now, it looks like Alba will be the third-choice left-back for Barcelona in the 2022/23 season.
