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The summer transfer window has closed and despite heavy speculation and reported interest, Alejandro Balde will remain at Barcelona for now. However, his future at the Catalan club remains very much uncertain.
It feels like not long ago that the La Masia product burst onto the scene as a young teenager and effectively brought an end to the Jordi Alba era at Barcelona, stepping into the shoes of the iconic left back. He appeared set to dominate that flank for years to come.
Balde has racked up 168 appearances for Barcelona before turning 23, yet his standing at the club has never been more fragile. The pacey defender has slipped down the depth chart, and Hansi Flick even called his dedication into question when he left him out of the matchday squad for the season opener against Elche last month.
This time last year, Balde was coming off the finest campaign of his career and was a guaranteed starter under Flick. Now he finds himself as third choice at the position, behind two players who aren't natural left backs, and Barcelona were more than willing to let him go right up until the final hours of the window.
Balde's dramatic fall from favor has been striking, but there are clear reasons behind his recent decline.
Alejandro Balde's Disastrous 2025–26 Season
Aside from dancing alongside Lamine Yamal in goal celebrations, it would be difficult to pinpoint any standout moments from Balde's 2025–26 campaign. It wasn't simply a matter of struggling — he visibly regressed.
He has always been an energetic left back who functions more like a wingback than a conventional fullback, frequently tasked with providing width to allow Raphinha to drift inside in Flick's setup. Yet in 2025–26, he was largely ineffective going forward. When opponents cut off his route to the byline, he had little to offer. When he did manage to get into crossing positions, his deliveries were consistently below par.
Defending has never been his strongest suit, and that was only reinforced last season. Balde was sloppy in his marking, a fraction too slow to intervene, and — most critically — repeatedly caught out of position during transitions, a glaring weakness in Flick's system.
Muscular injuries have plagued Balde throughout his career, and 2025–26 was no exception. He missed a month early in the season, and his dip in form became apparent upon his return. By the time he picked up another injury and was ruled out for a further month in March, João Cancelo had already claimed the starting left-back spot and never relinquished it for the remainder of the season.
Even before the season concluded, it appeared that Balde had become surplus to requirements in Flick's eyes, and Barcelona stood to benefit financially from his sale.
Barcelona Were Too Late in Attempt to Sell Balde
While Barcelona had been open to offloading Balde since the window opened, the player himself appeared content to stay, and the club wasn't actively pushing him out or marketing him to interested parties.
A potential Balde departure didn't begin to take shape until late August, when interest from Manchester United emerged around the same time his demotion to third-choice left back became apparent — prompting Flick's public remarks after leaving him out of the squad for the Elche fixture.
However, Manchester United were only interested in a loan arrangement, unwilling to commit significant funds to the position given their long-term focus on Lewis Hall. Barcelona, meanwhile, were only prepared to sanction a permanent departure.
Recently, SPORT reported that Barcelona had explored a deal that would have seen Balde head to Inter Milan, with Federico Dimarco moving in the opposite direction. However, the rumored swap never materialized.
Barcelona only made a genuine push to sell Balde in the final days of the window, by which point interest had largely dried up. The out-of-favor defender will now stay at the club for at least another four months, with the January window offering the next opportunity to move on.
Competition for Balde Gets Tougher
The development that reportedly pushed Balde toward reconsidering his position and potentially leaving was that Cancelo was no longer the only player ahead of him in the left-back pecking order.
Xavi Espart has been outstanding in the first three matches of the season, operating away from his natural right-back role and fitting in seamlessly on the left side. The academy-produced fullback is the latest member of the club's celebrated 2007 generation to break into the first team, following the path blazed by Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, and Marc Bernal.
The teenager has a background as a midfielder, and Flick has encouraged him to invert inside during the early games of the season, with the youngster adapting effortlessly to the new role. Cancelo is expected to reclaim his starting spot once fully fit, but Espart is already making a compelling case to hold onto his place.
Left out of the picture entirely is Balde, who just a year ago had only Gerard Martín as competition at the position and now finds himself behind two players with better form and, crucially, greater versatility.
As it stands, Balde's route to regular playing time looks extremely narrow. A significant turnaround in form will be required to win back Flick's trust and compete for minutes at left back.
How Balde Can Fight His Way Back Into Barça's Plans
The only realistic path back for Balde at Barcelona is to make the most of every opportunity afforded to him, starting in training. His dedication to the club must be unquestionable — especially given that it has already been publicly doubted. For now, the training ground is the only place he can prove that.
Whenever he eventually gets his chance to make his seasonal debut, he will need to deliver immediately. Reproducing the uninspiring form of 2025–26 rather than the quality he showed in 2024–25 could effectively signal the end of his Barcelona career.
Balde possesses the talent and physical attributes to be among the finest left backs in the world at his best — the issue is that he has failed to demonstrate that level of performance consistently for over a year. It is vital that he blocks out the noise surrounding his future and focuses on repairing his relationship with Flick, and the only way to do that is by performing on the pitch.
There are precedents he can look to for inspiration. Eric García was barely in the picture during the early stages of the Flick era and is now among the first names on the teamsheet. Martín himself wasn't even registered for La Liga at the start of last season and has since established himself as a regular starter in central defense.
This is the most challenging period of Balde's career — it is now or never for one of La Masia's finest products of the decade to rise to the challenge.
With his contract running until 2028, if Balde fails to turn his situation around and remains a bench fixture, his time at Barcelona will be drawing to a close. A departure next summer — if not sooner — would appear almost inevitable.