Barcelona keeping tabs on former La Masia prodigy amid concerns over left-back position | OneFootball

A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has highlighted Barcelona’s growing concern in the left-back position.

The club are not satisfied with Alejandro Balde’s performances this season, with the Spaniard showing a significant drop in performance levels.

Moreover, Barcelona lack the services of a reliable alternative. Although Gerard Martin has done well, he hasn’t shown the kind of quality that will be enough to compete with Balde in the long run.

This has forced Barcelona to scour the market for a new left-back who can act not only as a backup for Balde but also as a competitor.

Barcelona keeping tabs on Grimaldo

Keeping that in mind, the report points out that Barcelona are keeping tabs on Alejandro Grimaldo of Bayer Leverkusen.

Barcelona were keen on signing the former La Masia prodigy not too long ago, but the club simply didn’t have the financial resources to bring him back to Catalonia.

Barcelona are concerned about Balde’s performances. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

However, Barcelona’s job now could be made easier by the fact that Grimaldo has a special clause in his Leverkusen contract that allows him to join a Spanish team for a figure of around €15-20 million.

Although Barcelona would ideally like to sign Josko Gvardiol and Nuno Mendes for their quality, they are a bit unrealistic options for Barcelona right now due to their hefty price tags.

Grimaldo, to that end, is a more affordable option for Barcelona, while the Spaniard’s La Masia past could help transition quickly to life under Hansi Flick.

Grimaldo, for his part, remains determined to return to Barcelona and play for his former club once again. Whether or not Barcelona can make that happen, either in January or next summer, remains to be seen.