Barcelona exit-bound defender doubtful for Napoli first-leg clash in the Champions League

The roof has quickly come crashing down on Barcelona’s left-back position this season. Alejandro Balde’s injury has the player ruled out for the entirety of the season, while Marcos Alonso is also recuperating from a recent surgery for his lumbar discomfort.

The resultant situation sees the manager with no viable left-back options. Hector Fort and Joao Cancelo have covered the void in recent games, but it is clear that the duo cannot provide a long-term solution.

An update on Alonso

According to a recent update by MARCA, Alonso is recovering well but is still tangibly away from a return to the field. He exercised for a few days in France and has returned to Barcelona in recent weeks to take forward his recovery.

Yet, he is almost definitively ruled out for Barcelona’s clash against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League on the 21st of this month. Nobody in the Catalan administration wishes to risk his long-term fitness by rushing his recovery and will thus count on him only when he is 100% fit.

On his way out

Alonso’s contract with Barcelona runs out in the coming summer, and there are no talks of a renewal given the player’s age and the club’s financial situation.

The former Chelsea star is thus likely to leave the club as a free agent at the end of his contract, opening space for a new young left-back to arrive.

Names like Sergi Cardona, Jonny Otto, Pervis Estupinan of Brighton, and Nicolas Tagliafico have been mentioned, but the final decision will boil down to the club’s financial freedom and the price tags of the aforementioned players.

For the time being, however, Xavi will hope to recover Alonso’s services at the earliest so as to free Joao Cancelo and permit him to start at right-back once more. After all, Barcelona are having a disastrous season in defence this term.