One Barcelona player has made it crystal clear that he won’t be leaving the club for Liverpool any time soon.
Following a recent report from AS which indicated that Alejandro Balde isn’t among a list of players who are considered ‘non-transferable’ at Camp Nou, the left-back was the subject of a plea from one user on The Residency to make the move to Anfield.
However, the 20-year-old gave short shrift to that suggestion on the app (which enables users to chat to professional footballers directly) as he replied: “And leaving Barcelona in summer? No man”, followed by a ‘crying with laughter’ emoji.
Blaugrana runs through Balde’s veins 🔵🔴 [@TheResidncy] #fcblive pic.twitter.com/qMiolhLtf1
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) May 31, 2024
Is Balde a player that Liverpool might legitimately have been considering as a potential signing at Anfield?
At 20 he’d certainly represent a healthy long-term option to provide competition for, and eventually take over from, Andy Robertson.
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The Spain international has already accrued nearly 100 senior appearances for club and country combined (Transfermarkt), while he features among the top left-backs in Europe over the past year for metrics such as progressive carries and successful take-ons per game (FBref).
However, while Balde excels at bombing forward, he ranks unfavourably for core defensive aspects such as tackles, interceptions and blocks per 90 minutes (FBref), and in any case he’s made it quite clear that he won’t be abandoning Barcelona any time soon.
No impending move to Liverpool for the youngster, then, but that isn’t to say he won’t be an option further down the line if his situation at Camp Nou should change, and if he improves on some of the essential facets of his game.