Balde and Kounde uncertainty shapes Barcelona’s January plans

Barcelona are preparing for the winter transfer window, which opens on January 1, with a new defender high on the squad-building agenda. The Catalans are targeting a big-name centre-back, but the reported route to creating room for that move could involve selling two established full-backs: Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde. A sale is not confirmed, and the €100m figure attached to the idea remains an estimate rather than guaranteed income.

According to the September 29 report, El Nacional has described a potential January operation in which Barcelona would sell both players for around €50m each. That would produce a possible combined return of €100m, while also helping the club free salary-cap space. The report presents their futures as uncertain; it does not establish that either player has been told to leave or that a transfer is agreed.

The distinction matters because the club’s immediate requirement is to sell at least one player if it is to create the necessary room for a major central-defensive signing. The reported two-player scenario would go further, potentially bringing in a substantial fee as well as addressing the salary-cap constraint. Barcelona’s squad cost limit is part of the financial framework that shapes how much space the club can use for its first team.

However, the approximate €50m valuations should not be mistaken for fixed asking prices. The report does not cite concrete bids, confirm that either player is available at that amount, or say that a €100m gross return would become €100m in spending power. Any budget for a defender would depend on the eventual terms of a sale and the salary-cap space it creates, not simply the headline total.

That financial calculation sits alongside Barcelona’s broader January planning and financial fair play margin. The reported need to generate room for a signing helps explain why the club would consider departures even as it looks to strengthen the squad. The report does not provide further figures for the available margin or specify how much a particular sale would add to the January budget.

Balde and Kounde are being discussed because their roles have shifted during the opening weeks of the 2026-27 season. They were Barcelona’s starting left-back and right-back respectively, but the report says both have fallen down the pecking order after performances last season failed to satisfy Hansi Flick. Eric Garcia, Joao Cancelo and Xavi Espart are currently preferred in the relevant defensive roles, according to the same account.

The rationale attributed to El Nacional is that the players’ market values could decline if they spend more time on the bench. Selling now could therefore be considered both a way to unlock room for a centre-back and an opportunity to realise value from two players who were recently regular starters. But the sporting cost would also be significant: Balde and Kounde could still be important squad options if they recover their best form.

Barcelona’s wider financial position and the need to balance squad investment with other priorities provide further context for the discussion, though no additional financial target is established in this report. The club’s financial pressures make it important to distinguish a possible sales target from money already available to spend.

The coming months should clarify whether improved form changes the calculus or whether the reported plan gains traction as January approaches. For now, neither departure is confirmed, and the €100m scenario remains conditional on Barcelona finding buyers at the estimated valuations.