Premier League heavyweights Chelsea are reportedly considering a late move to sign Barcelona prodigy Alejandro Balde this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Alejandro Balde is the subject of interest from Chelsea over an eleventh-hour move before the summer transfer window shuts down. But it is unclear if Barcelona will be open to letting the 18-year-old wonderkid depart from Camp Nou at this stage of the window.
Alejandro Balde started his youth career at Sant Gabriel before enjoying two years at Espanyol. But the Spanish whizkid spent most of his formative years at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy upon arriving at the Catalan club over a decade ago. And the teenage prodigy has come leaps and bounds at FC Barcelona.
The 18-year-old wonderkid made his first-team debut for Barcelona in the 2021/22 season and has turned out nine times for the Blaugrana. And after starting two of the three La Liga games thus far for Barcelona, Balde might have become their first-choice left-back. But Balde’s progress has also captured the attention of several clubs, including Chelsea.
Chelsea first showed interest in Balde in June amid their search for a replacement for Marcos Alonso, coincidentally a target for Barcelona. But the continued interest from Chelsea in the Spanish wonderkid is surprising, considering the Blues have secured the services of Marc Cucurella since then.
With the former Barcelona defender settling down well at Stamford Bridge, the west Londoners do not need to sign another such player to fill the role. Nonetheless, it looks like Chelsea will be pursuing the teenage prodigy in the final couple of days in the summer transfer window.
But Barcelona, who might soon sign Alonso from Chelsea after the Spaniard rejected a move to Atletico Madrid, might not be open to letting Balde leave this late in the summer transfer window. While the report by Fichajes suggests Barcelona might be receptive to an offer, recent reports have claimed that Balde will be the new first-choice left-back for the Blaugrana this summer.
So a late move to Chelsea looks highly unlikely for the Barcelona wonderkid, who will relish the opportunity to be the new first-choice left-back for the Catalan giants in the 2022/23 season.
