Barcelona put off defender by €50m price tag despite performances

There was an argument on Tuesday night that Alejandro Balde was Barcelona’s best player in their dramatic win over Benfica, with the Catalan left-back on his best run of form since before a hamstring injury. There have been a solid string of reports in recent months that they are on the hunt for another left-back next summer.

An outsider for Alphonso Davies, who looks set to stay at Bayern Munich, the Blaugrana seem intent on bringing in at the very least competition for Balde if not another starter. Gerard Martin has filled in this season after earning promotion from Barca Atletic in the summer, but few consider him a long-term answer at the position.

Hansi Flick: “The best thing has been the mentality we have had, this is football, and that’s why we love it.” pic.twitter.com/4blfv2Avzx

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 21, 2025

One of the options they are convinced by is Benfica left-back Alvaro Carreras. Equally, the Spanish youngster was considered amongst the best for the Portuguese giants at the Estadio da Luz against Barcelona. Sport say that Carreras is liked by Sporting Director Deco and the club, but feel they are not willing to reach the figures Benfica are asking for.

Benfica signed Carreras from Manchester United on loan initially, and executed a €6m buy clause at the end of it. The 21-year-old’s performances have attracted attention from all over Europe though, with Atletico Madrid another side watching his progress, as well as Juventus and Manchester United. Well aware of this, Benfica’s asking price for Carreras is set at €50m.

🚨 Xabi Alonso: “We want to reach the level of teams like Atlético and players like Griezmann or Julián. Champions League contenders? They could be there. In knockouts, they’re very competitive. Their subs are top-level players. This is one of their best squads in recent years.” pic.twitter.com/awWOcePPDE

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) January 22, 2025

United have a €25m buyback option on Carreras, and a number of reports noted that the Red Devils were keen on exercising that clause. However since Ruben Amorim took over, those links have died down somewhat. Barcelona do have Alex Valle on loan at Celtic currently to return next summer, but it remains to be seen whether they deem him a strong alternative to Balde, with talk that he may join Como on loan in January too.