Aston Villa are among clubs pushed forward as a contender to sign Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.
On March 26th, Sport Witness covered claims from Spain that Aston Villa, Manchester City and Manchester United have all initiated contact to sign him in the summer.
At the start of this month, we relayed news further backing up the Villans’ interest in the left-back.
He’s a product of Barcelona’s youth system and has been with their first team since 2021.
The Spain international is now the first choice for Hansi Flick, making 36 appearances so far this season. The fullback’s playing time has been partly restricted due to two different injuries.
His La Liga stats this season are as follows:
- Appearances: 22
- Starts: 19
- Total minutes: 1583
- Minutes per game: 71
Aston Villa make position clear
The latest claims have stated Unai Emery’s side are willing to spend €60m to bring him to Villa Park in the summer.
Sport got in touch with the Premier League side to learn about out their intentions for Alejandro Balde.
Sources close to Aston Villa have wasted no time to dismiss making any move to sign the 22-year-old. In fact, the English club are ruling out signing a new left-back in the next window.
Emery has Lucas Digne as his first choice left-back with 24-year-old Ian Maatsen as the Frenchman’s backup. Therefore, a potential move for the Barcelona player is not on the cards for the summer.
That should be enough to put an end to claims of Aston Villa as an option for Balde. It’s unclear whether other suitors are willing to make advances after this season.
Barcelona, for their part, aren’t closing the door on the Spain international’s exit and are open to listening to offers that meet their financial criteria. The fullback, however, isn’t looking to leave the Camp Nou.
Our take: Aston Villa’s stance make sense
Alejandro Balde has a contract until 2028 with a €1bn release clause. His value, as per Transfermarkt, is €55m, a €5m drop since March 2025.
Agency Gestifute, owned by super-agent Jorge Mendes, are representing the Spaniard.
Barcelona would need a convincing offer to consider sanctioning his sale.
Considering Aston Villa’s left-back position is well covered and they have other priorities, it’s unlikely for the Villans to spend big on Balde. Therefore, Unai Emery’s side ruling out any potential move for the Barca player makes perfect sense.
