Alejandro Balde’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has said Barcelona rejected sizable offers from prominent European clubs for their defender.
According to Mendes, these clubs wanted to capitalize on the Blaugrana’s well-documented financial troubles to prize the La Masia graduate away.
Barcelona have been profusely struggling to manage their books in the last few years. In the summer of 2021, they could not offer their record scorer Lionel Messi a contract extension, leading to his departure to Paris Saint-Germain. They have also failed to land many top players because of their financial problems, with Nico Williams’ botched transfer being the latest example.
Luckily, Barcelona have a world-class academy in La Masia, which continues to churn out exceptional players with remarkable frequency. These players have helped Barca remain competitive in Spain and Europe, go toe-to-toe with much more economically sorted Real Madrid.
Jorge Mendes Says Barcelona Rejected Big Offers for Alejandro Balde
La Masia graduates are a source of pride for Barcelona, and they generally do everything in their power to keep them at the club. According to Mendes, Barca’s most recent display of resolve came in the summer of 2023, as they rejected important offers for first-choice left-back Balde.
Speaking with Mundo Deportivo, Mendes revealed:
“What I can say is that before renewing with Barcelona, the best clubs in Europe wanted him. Barcelona knew it, so there is no doubt for anyone.
“These clubs knew about the difficult situation that Barcelona had and that they could take advantage of that situation, but Barcelona made the right decision not to sell him despite having important offers and there is no doubt. At the level of players in his position, he is also number one.”
Balde got his well-deserved promotion from Barca Atletic to the senior team in July 2022. In his first full season in La Liga, Balde played 33 matches, scoring one goal and providing six assists. He struggled to keep himself fit last year and could only play 18 games in the Spanish top flight, registering an assist.
Balde has managed to keep injuries at bay this term, but his performances have not been up to the mark. He has played 22 games for the club in all competitions, claiming four assists.
