Report – 22-year-old Barcelona reserve team player could replace exit-bound veteran | OneFootball

Barcelona are set to bid adieu to veteran defender Marcos Alonso this summer, with the left-back on the verge of departing as a free agent when his contract expires on June 30.

The Spanish star’s exit leaves the spot of a backup left-back vacant, with Barça looking for options to provide cover for Alejandro Balde, who will be the first choice.

Alex Valle, returning from his loan spell at UD Levante, is one of the options that the Catalans could take a closer look at, but there appears to be another in-house solution for Barça.

Gerard Martin could be a solution

Indeed, as per Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona Atletic defender Gerard Martin could be an option for the first-team setup to replace the departing Marcos Alonso.

Having joined from UE Cornella last summer, the 22-year-old became a regular in the side for Rafa Marquez.

Indeed, the Spanish youngster has made 40 appearances for the team, including starting all three promotion playoff matches so far, even registering an assist. In fact, Martin has missed only one game all season, due to suspension.

As such, Martin is seen as a possibility as an alternative to Balde at left-back, in view of his performances, especially given City’s demands for the loan or transfer of Joao Cancelo.

Martin has a contract with the club until 2025 and it will certainly be interesting to see if he gets a chance in pre-season, along with fellow Barça Atletic players like Marc Casado, Unai Hernandez, and Marc Bernal.