The left-back position is one of the areas of the team that FC Barcelona will need to improve in the upcoming months. Alejandro Balde, a graduate of La Masia, is Xavi’s obvious starter in this role, but the team would also need a replacement player.
At the moment, Xavi trusts Marcos Alonso in this capacity, and the Spaniard will take Balde’s position if the latter needs a break or is suspended. But Alonso’s deal expires the next year, so the Catalans will need to find a replacement for him.
Barcelona will wager on Valle to cover Balde.
Mundo Deportivo claims that rather than searching the market for a replacement, Barcelona’s technical department is hoping to place a wager on another internal talent for this position. Alex Valle, who is recovering from an injury and is now on loan at Levante, is the guy they have in mind.
Valle was included in the squad that Xavi chose for the preseason tour of the United States, particularly because Balde was not well enough to play at the time. Valle played five minutes against AC Milan but did not come on as a substitute against Tottenham for the Gamper Trophy.
Levante’s Valle
After that, he was given a contract with no buyout option and leased to Levante until June 2024. The left-back has started every one of his nine Segunda División games with Levante thus far, and he has played every minute of seven of those starts.
Not only is Bojan Krkic closely monitoring the young player’s progress at Levante, but Xavi is also keeping tabs on the player’s development. By the time Valle’s loan term expires, Xavi will have a better notion of whether the player is good enough for a job at Barcelona because he is aware of how the player is developing.