Arsenal and Newcastle enquire over Barcelona wonderkid

Karan Tejwani

• 9 Jan 2023 07:35 CST
• 3 min read

Arsenal and Newcastle are looking at the possibility of signing Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde after being impressed by his breakthrough with the Blaugrana this season.

The 19-year-old has earned more opportunities with the first team this season as Xavi has been impressed with his performances over the course of the season.

Having come through La Masia – Barcelona’s famous youth academy – he has taken his chances with the first team well and is now attracting interest from above.

READ: Barcelona and Chelsea fight for Kante: The state of play

The two Premier League clubs are keen to test Barcelona’s resolve and wish to see if the Spanish club would budge in their hope of keeping Balde.

Barcelona keen to keep Balde

Balde is under contract at Barcelona until the end of the 2023-24 season and the Blaugrana are hoping to get the contract extended in the coming months to avoid losing him for nothing.

Barcelona are undergoing a few financial difficulties which has caused them to alter their transfer plans and they have even struggled to register players in the past.

READ: 10 players who could join Barcelona in January

Even if Balde does agree a new deal, he won’t be registered as a first-team player, which has proven to be a source of frustration for the young left-back.

The two Premier League clubs, Arsenal and Newcastle, see this as a sign of encouragement and they could be tempted to make a move in the coming months.

Balde’s rise has been so impressive that he’s not just caught the attention of Barcelona, but also the Spanish national team under Luis Enrique.

He was included in the squad that travelled to Qatar for the World Cup, earning a call-up instead of Jose Gaya, who missed out on the tournament after picking up a late injury.

Barcelona are determined to fight off interest from any club with regards to Balde and want to tie down his long term future to them at the Camp Nou.