Barcelona confirm loan deal for left-back with contract option | OneFootball

Barcelona have decided to loan out Alex Valle for the coming season, with the 20-year-old joining Scottish champions Celtic for the coming season.

The Blaugrana was out of contract next summer, and Valle has signed a one-year extension with an option for two more seasons included, meaning Barcelona remain in firm control of Valle’s future. Equally, Celtic do not have a buy option on Valle.

Valle was a candidate to make the senior side at Barcelona this summer, but manager Hansi Flick has elected to use Gerard Martin as Alejandro Balde’s back-up instead, as was evidenced by this start against Rayo Vallecano. Valle spent last season on loan at Levante, where he started regularly until February, and did a decent job in Segunda, before a change of manager saw him drop out of the team.

With the new deal, it is not yet clear whether Valle’s release clause has been altered. Having not been registered as a first team player, Valle would have been available for €3m rather than €30m. It seems likely Barcelona would have sought to protect themselves more though.