Balde left out of the Elche squad. Flick made the decision without a request from the player

Hansi Flick told Alejandro Balde that he expected him to fight for his place. The Spaniard took those words as a challenge and intended to remain at Barcelona. A few hours later, he discovered that he would be watching the first fight from home.

Balde has been omitted from FC Barcelona’s 23-man squad for the away match against Elche. He is not injured, did not ask for a rest and did not request to be left behind. According to “Mundo Deportivo”, it was a purely technical decision made by Flick.

That detail matters because Balde’s camp had told the same newspaper only a day earlier that the player wanted to stay and compete for the starting position. He reportedly interpreted Flick’s public demand for greater competition as extra motivation, not as an invitation to pack his bags.

Balde was prepared to consider leaving in only one situation: if Barcelona explicitly told him that he was no longer part of their plans. He had received no such message. Then the Elche squad was published. Sometimes a club delivers its position during a meeting. Sometimes your name simply disappears from the list.

Flick had already refused to guarantee Balde’s place during his press conference. “Balde has great quality. What I want to see is that he is convinced he can compete for his position. That is what I expect from the players every day,” the coach said.

The response came with his selection. João Cancelo, Gerard Martín and 17-year-old Jordi Pesquer — all capable of playing at left-back — are travelling to Elche. Balde is staying in Barcelona. Flick asked him to embrace the competition and then opened the season by holding that competition without him.

The decision is even more significant following Cancelo’s return. The Portuguese defender has been registered, included in the squad and declared ready to play by Flick despite spending little time in full training with the team. Balde completed preseason, featured in the Joan Gamper Trophy and publicly insisted that he remained focused on his work. It was not enough to earn a place against Elche.

This does not mean that a transfer has already been agreed. Barcelona have not officially announced that Balde is for sale. Flick’s decision does, however, change the situation considerably with ten days remaining before the transfer window closes.

Manchester United have shown interest in the left-back. Aston Villa and Benfica have also been mentioned in Spain, while his agent Jorge Mendes reportedly presented the available possibilities during a meeting on Friday. Until now, Balde’s position had been clear: he wanted to stay and would only consider leaving if the club stopped counting on him.

After seeing the Elche squad, he may begin to wonder how much more directly Barcelona need to say it.

Balde did not ask for the night off. He did not request a transfer either. Flick simply removed him from the first matchday squad of the season and selected three other options for his position. At a club that often specialises in unclear messages, this one is rather difficult to misunderstand.

Sources: “Mundo Deportivo” – Balde omitted by Flick’s decision | “Mundo Deportivo” – Balde wanted to stay and compete | AS – Hansi Flick’s comments