Alex Valle has been a part of La Masia for a long time now but has followed a different path to the first team. The 20-year-old has had two loan spells so far, once with FC Andorra and last season with Levante.
He finally looks ready to take the step up to the first team and Hansi Flick wants to have a look at him, having selected him in the pre-season tour. Depending on his performance, the German coach is likely to make a decision.
There is no natural backup to Alejandro Balde in the Barcelona squad, with Marcos Alonso leaving the club. The Badalona-born left-back will be hoping to catch the eye with his displays in pre-season and hopefully get a run in the first-team.
One thing that the club needs to sort out before all this though is Valle’s contract situation. As per Mundo Deportivo, the 20-year-old’s current deal with the club ends in 2025 but Barcelona can automatically renew his contract by August 1, which would increase his salary to more than €1m per year and release clause to €30m.
The report adds that should the player decide not to do so, his release clause would drop from €8m to €3m, a situation that the club very clearly has to avoid. Both parties are open to negotiation though and Deco is set to hold talks this week.
The key factor here is Valle’s desire to stay at Barcelona, a club he calls home for many years. This goes a long way in the negotiation table and both parties would be hoping to reach an amicable agreement on the extension.
Having Valle and Balde for the left-back role in the squad would sort Barcelona out in that position. It must be kept in mind that the latter is coming off a serious injury and might take time to build back up to speed.
The Spain U-19 international is very talented and would be a perfect folly to Balde. Let’s hope Valle can have an excellent pre-season and convince Flick to give him a role in the first team going forward.
