Barcelona will reportedly look to sign 27-year-old Spanish left-back Alfonso Pedraza from Villarreal in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Alfonso Pedraza is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The reigning La Liga champions will likely enter the market for a left-back in the summer transfer window. And they have set their sights on the 27-year-old Villarreal left-back.
Who is Alfonso Pedraza?
Alfonso Pedraza has established himself as one of the most underrated full-backs in La Liga in the last few years. A San Sebastian de los Ballesteros, the Spaniard graduated from the Villarreal youth division. But he needed a few loan spells before finally establishing a foothold in the first-team squad at Estadio de la Ceramica.
The 27-year-old has not been the undisputed first-choice left-back for Villarreal in the last few years. That has also been the case this season, with the player managing only 1,177 minutes of game time across 19 appearances thus far. But Pedraza’s stock remains high in the market, with Barcelona among his prospective suitors.
Barcelona Want Alfonso Pedraza
Barcelona’s interest in Alfonso Pedraza is understandable. The 2023/24 season has shown that Alejandro Balde can do with some competition for his position. The Spanish international is one of the best young left-backs in the world. But he is nowhere close to his peak and will take some time to become a consistent performer.
Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso will likely leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window amid his links with Atletico Madrid. While Joao Cancelo can play as a left-back, it behoves Barcelona to invest in a left-back in the summer transfer window. Several left-backs, including Sergi Cardona, have thus emerged on Barcelona’s radar.
But Alfonso Pedraza is also a viable target for Barcelona, although he will cost more than Cardona. The UD Las Palmas full-back will be a free agent in the summer transfer window, making him an appealing target. But Pedraza has more experience in La Liga.
Interestingly, Pedraza has been a target for Xavi Hernandez and might be the 44-year-old manager’s parting gift for Barcelona. So, it will be interesting to see if a summer move sees the light of day for the 27-year-old Villarreal full-back.
