Media reports have revealed that one of Barcelona's players is feeling extreme dissatisfaction toward the club's management in the final days of the current 2026 summer transfer window.
Barcelona played their first La Liga match of the 2026/27 season yesterday, achieving a convincing 5-0 victory over Elche.
Coach Hans Flick decided to exclude Alejandro Balde from Barcelona's squad for the match against Elche amid speculation surrounding his future and the possibility of his departure this summer.
The Spanish newspaper "Sport," citing "El País," reported that Balde feels frustrated about his situation in recent days, as he does not understand this sudden change occurring just one week before the closure of the summer transfer market.
It clarified that sources close to Balde confirmed he rejected offers during the summer transfer window, as he intended to stay with Barcelona, the reigning La Liga champions.
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It reported that Hans Flick is the source of Balde's frustration, as he secretly hinted at his complete dissatisfaction with the player's commitment, turning the matter into a public issue in recent days. Although the German coach's message was not surprising in terms of its content, the timing of delivering it to the player was unexpected.
It indicated that what occurred during the last training session before the Elche match, where Xavi Espart was trained as a left-back, caused Balde's frustration. This was not because he lost his place with Flick or because the latter opted for another choice, but because he believes it was necessary to inform him of this situation earlier, given the doubts surrounding his position.
Sources close to Balde were quoted as saying: "This happens just one week before the transfer window closes? They could have informed us earlier; he wanted to stay."
Balde received offers to leave Barcelona this summer but rejected them because he believed he would have an important role in Hans Flick's project, just as he did in the past two seasons.
Balde returned to training normally with the team today. Perhaps this step will help ease tensions, but possibly not enough to end the controversy surrounding his future.