TA: Balde has been told that he is currently considered Cancelo's replacement.

According to The Athletic, Balde's situation at Barcelona has changed, with Flick recently publicly criticizing the full-back.

This summer, Barcelona has been willing to listen to offers for academy product Victor Balde. Back in June, the club believed his development had slowed after five seasons with the first team, and that Cancelo, on loan at the club, had surpassed him in the pecking order during the second half of last season.

In this week's transfer column, The Athletic reported that Manchester United are considering signing him, but given their cautious spending in the current transfer window, United's interest is more likely to be limited to a loan deal.

However, a loan move is not Barcelona's plan. With just over a week until next Tuesday's transfer deadline, Barcelona is more likely to accept a permanent transfer, and with a substantial transfer fee. Furthermore, Valde himself needs to accept this idea, which is not currently the case.

Barcelona sources indicate that Valde will stay if no suitable offer arrives. These sources, like the other interviewees in this article, requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

However, Balde's current contract has less than two years remaining, and if it comes to this time next year, the club may find it difficult to get a high price for him; and this player, who has represented Spain seven times, will have a stronger bargaining power in any contract renewal negotiations.

On Tuesday, Flick had another further discussion with Balder.

Sources indicate that Balde has been told he is currently considered Cancelo's backup; if he wants to stay, he must prove he is willing to train hard and continue to improve. Balde responded to Flick by saying he accepts the challenge to fight for his place and has requested playing time to prove his worth.

Those close to Balde were surprised by the developments over the past week, but Barcelona stated that they had asked his agent, Nuno Mendes, to make offers for him at the start of the summer transfer window. At that time, the defender refused to consider leaving. He enjoys life in Barcelona and is happy to play for the club he has supported since childhood, his hometown club. He joined Barcelona at the age of eight after a brief stint with city rivals Espanyol.

Despite his young age, Balde has made 168 appearances since his debut at the age of 17 in September 2021. In Flick's first season in charge, the 2024-25 season, he was the undisputed first-choice left-back; however, towards the end of the following season, Cancelo gradually became the German coach's preferred option in that position. During that period, Balde missed time in September along with Solí March due to a hamstring injury.

Balde possesses excellent physical attributes and great speed, and his technical abilities fully meet Barcelona's requirements. However, he is perceived as lacking focus, and there have been instances of him being unfocused during matches, which has led to his gradual fall out of favor.

In the match against Elche, Flick opted for another La Masia alumnus, Esparte, to replace Balde. The 19-year-old, formerly a midfielder, has been converted to right-back in recent years, but he started at left-back on Sunday.

First-team sources are not satisfied with Balde's recent progress or his attitude towards improving his playing level. Several people familiar with the situation said that Flick does not consider him one of the team's most dedicated players in terms of training commitment.

Sources close to Balde have also acknowledged that his development has not met expectations since signing his most recent contract extension in 2023. Balde had an impressive run when he was first promoted to the first team the previous year, replacing the aging Alba, who, while one of the club's greatest left-backs in history, was already over thirty at the time.

This summer, Balde arrived with a back injury at the start of preseason training, which prevented him from fully committing to training from day one.

Given that Balde missed the World Cup – his last appearance for Spain was in October 2023 – and he had ample time to take care of himself and start the 2026-27 season in top form, club sources are not entirely satisfied. Balde's team stated that he had been training with a private fitness coach before returning to the club for official training.

There is still time for things to change. Although Balde's recent season was not ideal, he is still young and has always been considered to have great potential.

However, La Masia has even younger prospects who, while not as physically imposing as him, are more likely to impress Flick in other aspects of the game. Besides Esparte, 17-year-old Jordi Pesker has also been training with the first team preseason and is considered a promising left-back.

For Barcelona fans, seeing a highly anticipated young star fail to live up to expectations is certainly not a pleasant experience. If Balde leaves, there will be a clear sense of disappointment among the fans. However, it's also acknowledged that his development hasn't reached its full potential – and under Flick, who led the team to consecutive Spanish championships, the standard for the defense is extremely high.