Barcelona intend to bring in a left winger and a central midfielder as central pieces for the coming season, but with Marcos Alonso likely on his way out of the club, they will need to bring in a left-back as cover for Alejandro Balde too. Two cut-price options seem to be most likely.
The former Chelsea defender, whose contribution has been fleeting this season, will not receive a renewal offer from the Blaugrana this summer, and is expected to leave. Alonso has been out with a back problem for the last two months, but MD say that he will return to action within three-and-a-half weeks maximum, meaning he will likely be available for their tie with Athletic Club in the first weekend of March. He will still miss games against Granada, Celta Vigo, Getafe and Napoli.
In order to replace him, Bojan Krkic is keeping a close eye on La Masia graduate Alex Valle, who is currently on loan at Levante in Segunda. If he impresses sufficiently, he would be the cheapest option for the Blaugrana.
The alternative is Sergi Cardona, the Las Palmas left-back who is having a fine debut season in La Liga. He too is out of contract at the end of the season, and Barcelona have sounded him out ahead of a possible move.
Barcelona may have to move quickly for Cardona though, with Atletico Madrid and Villarreal also looking at Cardona. The 24-year-old has played 22 times for Garcia Pimienta this season, providing two assists in the process, but generally looking at home in a similar system to the one Barcelona attempt to employ.
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