Premier League side Arsenal have offered Barcelona two players in exchange for in-demand defender Alejandro Balde, according to reports.
The Gunners had a brilliant season under Mikel Arteta with Arsenal just missing out on the Premier League title on the final day of the season.
Arsenal keep building year on year under the Spaniard and they have now qualified for the Champions League two years in a row, giving them an advantage in the transfer market.
The Premier League side now represent one of the most progressive clubs in Europe with Arteta’s side once again an attractive proposition for some of the best players in the world.
Speaking in April, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that it is likely that Arsenal will pursue a deal for a new left-back over the summer.
Romano said: “As has been reported, I can confirm that it’s a possibility for Arsenal to go for a new left-back in the summer. It’s not guaranteed yet because they still have to hold more meetings to discuss their summer plans, but a new left-back is one of the possibilities for the summer transfer window.
There’s also been some speculation about the future of Oleksandr Zinchenko but my understanding is that nothing has been discussed yet with him – the full focus is on the final weeks of the season before that.”
And now reports in Spain indicate they have identified Barcelona’s Balde as their top target with Arsenal making their move for the Spain international.
Balde has already made 79 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan giants at just 20 years old and he’s believed to be one of the most in-demand prospects in world football with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester United also monitoring the left-back.
But it’s Arsenal who have made the first move for Balde with the Gunners offering Zinchenko – who cost the north London club £32m – and Fabio Vieira – who joined from Porto in a deal worth £40m in 2022 – in exchange for the Barcelona youngster.
The report adds that Balde could ‘become one of the sacrifices they [Barcelona] are forced to make’ in the summer to balance the books with new boss Hansi Flick not considering the Spaniard ‘essential’.
Arsenal want Zinchenko ‘to enter into the operation to remove Balde from the Camp Nou, including him in the agreement’ as they look to reduce Barcelona’s huge asking price, while Vieira is the other player offered as Arteta is ‘willing to do without’ the former Porto man at the Emirates Stadium next season.
