Confirmed: Barcelona squad list to face Elche CF as star defender misses out

Barcelona have named their first squad for the 2026-27 La Liga season, and there has been one major omission.

Since last evening, there has been a lot of chatter around Alejandro Balde’s future, with the Spaniard emerging as a likely candidate to leave the club this summer.

Hansi Flick had hinted that Balde was not training in a way that he liked, despite the fact that he was a great talent.

Now, the 22-year-old Spaniard has been left out of Barcelona’s squad to face Elche, emerging as the first significant sign that he could be on his way out.

The official squad list has other defensive options like Joao Cancelo, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, Xavi Espart, Alvaro Cortes and Jordi Pesquer.

Balde has been left of the Barcelona eleven. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Balde’s absence is particularly notable given the recent questions surrounding his position in Flick’s plans.

The 22-year-old had already been expected to miss out on the starting XI against Elche, but he has now been excluded from the matchday squad altogether.

Flick has recently demanded a step forward from the La Masia graduate, who faces increasing competition for minutes in Barcelona’s defence.

The timing is also interesting because Manchester United have recently been linked with Balde.

The Premier League club are monitoring developments and could become an option should Barcelona and the defender eventually decide that a transfer is best.

For now, Balde’s preference is understood to be clear: he wants to remain at Barça and fight for his position.

Balde started Flick’s last two pre-season games against FC Basel and Al Ahly, but it looks like something has transpired between the pair since.

Flick’s words, coupled with the increasing speculation, suggest that this omission of Balde may be more than just a slap on the wrist.

This is a huge wake-up call for the 22-year-old if he still wants to stay at the Catalan club and succeed under Hansi Flick.

Since his breakthrough into the first team, Balde has almost always been the undisputed option at left-back despite not always deserving it.

In his absence now, Flick has to make a decision on who starts against Elche. Cancelo is an option, but he has just joined the team and may not be ready to feature from the start.

This could mean that La Masia starlet Jordi Pesquer could be in line for a debut against Elche, and it remains to be seen how Barça handle the Balde situation in the coming weeks.