Chelsea Keen On This Barcelona Youngster As Player Wants Assurance: Good Move From Tuchel?

In a recent report from The Sun, it is mentioned that Chelsea are keen on signing Alejandro Balde of Barcelona. It has also been noted that the youngster needs to be sure of his position in Xavi’s squad next season to carry on at Nou Camp. If he doesn’t get the assurances, he’d be willing to move away, and the Blues remain a possible destination with Tuchel more than interested in bringing him to Stamford Bridge.

Balde’s Campaign With Barcelona So Far

Balde is a talented youngster from Barca’s academy who has made his debut in the senior squad this season. He has featured in five matches in the La Liga and had two substitute appearances in the Champions League early stages for Barcelona.

The talented youngster is no doubt a future prospect. He made the most out of his appearances by averaging 0.4 tackles, 0.2 interceptions, and 0.3 key passes per game in the Spanish first division football.

He also maintained a pass completion rate of 95.7% of his attempted passes in the Spanish top-flight (stats via whoscored).

Good Move From Chelsea Boss Thomas Tuchel?

Balde has proven to have a lot of potential playing in the backline. He is adept at playing his way out from the back and remains exceptional in distributing the ball to his teammates. He can make some decent runs down the right flank and create a few beautiful plays in the attacking third of the field.

The Spanish defender can win the ball back from the opposition as he remains agile. He has the ability to find his teammates and set them up through a few key passes in the penalty box, evident from some influential displays in the Barcelona B team.

At 18, he has already shown his potential, even catching the attention of Thomas Tuchel. He can improve with each season and could replace Marcos Alonso. Tuchel has identified him as a potential replacement if Marcos Alonso parts ways.

Xavi is considering bringing in players with enough experience to revamp the squad and contend for the European Championship. Balde would most likely serve as an understudy to Jordi Alba, but the youngster will probably not get significant game time. Moving to Chelsea should be a more viable option as he can grow further under Thomas Tuchel.

The Blues cannot afford to pay the release clause for him as it is worth a staggering £427million, but they might make a swap deal for Marcos Alonso along with a decent sum to snap up Balde. All in all, this would be a decent investment for the Blues, provided he grows to his potential over the coming seasons.