Barcelona could repeat Gavi transfer trick with Alejandro Balde following defender's surgery diagnosis

Alejandro Balde has become the second Barcelona player, after Gavi, to (almost certainly) miss the rest of the season. The 19-year-old was forced off with a hamstring injury against Athletic Club on Wednesday, and subsequent medical tests have shown that it is much worse than first feared.

On Saturday, Barcelona confirmed that Balde has injured the tendon in his right hamstring, for which surgery is required. As such, he is expected to be out of action for the next four months, which effectively means that his season is over.

Tests show that first team player Alejandro Balde has an injury to the tendon in his right hamstring. In the coming days he will undergo a surgical procedure at the hands of Dr. Lasse Lempainen, under the supervision of the Club's medical staff, in Turku, Finland. Once the… pic.twitter.com/GBffnBrleB

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 27, 2024

It is a bitter blow for Barcelona, although a silver lining to the situation has emerged. MD say that they could be able to remove Balde’s wages as part of their salary bill, as his expected lay-off time is four months or more. This would then provide leeway for a player to be signed before the winter transfer window closes next week.

Barcelona have already used this trick earlier in the month to register Vitor Roque, by removing Gavi’s wages from their salary bill (since he cannot play again this season anyway). For now, it remains to be seen whether this is explored by the club’s sporting department.