La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are considering offering 18-year-old prodigy Alejandro Balde in the deal to sign Argentine defender Juan Foyth this summer.
According to Spanish journalist Miguel Rico, Barcelona might propose a part-exchange deal to Villarreal to secure the services of Juan Foyth in the ongoing transfer window. The Catalan giants are ready to offer 18-year-old defensive prodigy Alejandro Balde to land the Argentine defender this summer.
Juan Foyth has resurrected his stuttering career since joining Villarreal from Tottenham. The 24-year-old had struggled to establish a foothold at the Premier League club, managing only 30 appearances in three seasons with Spurs. But he has rediscovered his best form following the move to Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarine initially signed him on loan in January 2021 before completing a permanent transfer last summer. And the Argentine defender has been a regular for Villarreal in the last 18 months, featuring 71 times for them. Foyth’s progress has not gone unnoticed either, with Barcelona keen on signing him this summer.
The interest from Barcelona stems from their inability to land Cesar Azpilicueta after pursuing him for months. The Chelsea captain had been open to joining the Blaugrana, with personal terms not being an issue. But the Blues prevailed in their efforts to keep Azpilicueta at Stamford Bridge, with the Spaniard signing a new contract with the west London club.
Azpilicueta’s snub has forced Barcelona to go back to the drawing board, with signing a new right-back being a priority following Dani Alves’s departure as a free agent. And with Sergino Dest not featuring in Xavi Hernandez’s plans, Barcelona cannot afford to go into a long season with Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Sergi Roberto as the only right-back options.
Foyth has thus emerged as a viable target, with the Argentine defender keen on joining the Catalan club. But recent reports have claimed that Villarreal might demand a sizeable fee to part ways with Foyth, which might be a stumbling block for Barcelona. That is why they are ready to offer Alejandro Balde in the deal to sign the former Tottenham defender.
The 18-year-old prodigy has been on Villarreal’s radar for some time, and he might be the ace up Barcelona’s sleeve to bring down the Argentine defender’s €42 million price tag. It will be interesting to see how Villarreal will respond to the proposal of getting 18-year-old Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde in the deal to sell Foyth.