FC Barcelona Announces First Transfer Of The Summer Window

FC Barcelona officially announced the transfer of one of its players to Italian Serie A outfit Como, via a short statement sent to members of the press on Tuesday afternoon in Spain.

“Como 1907 has made effective the termination clause of the player Alex Valle, who is 1748958081

not linked to FC Barcelona,” the correspondence began.

“The cost of the clause was six million euros ($6.8 million). The Club wishes him the best of luck and success in the future, both personally and professionally,” it added.

Picked up by La Masia in 2014, the Badalona native threatened to become one of 2024/2025’s breakthrough stars from the academy to the first team in preseason last summer.

He was one of a small group of youngsters taken on the friendly tour of the United States by then-new head coach Hansi Flick, and impressed in matches against the likes of Real Madrid in New Jersey.

While Marcs Casado and Bernal, plus Pau Victor, managed to stick around in what became a domestic treble-winning side on the German’s orders, however, Valle was sent out on loan to Celtic.

Gaining Champions League experience in Scotland, and featuring in all eight of the Glaswegian giant’s fixtures in the competition’s new look league phase, Valle was then taken to Italy by Cesc Fabregas’ Como at the end of January, on another temporary assignment for the rest of the campaign.

The terms of that agreement were explained by transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, who tweeted that while there was no purchase option for the Italian club, any interested party could land Valle permanently through paying €6 million at the end of the 2024/2025 season because of a clause inserted into the contract he renewed with Barca until mid-2026.

Como has now secured the left back by doing just that, and the Valle transfer has become Barca’s first bit of business at the start of what should be a busy summer transfer window expected to see goalkeeper Joan Garcia switch from Espanyol.

FC Barcelona still needs further options at full back

Valle leaving means that FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has less options at full back, which is where Alejandro Balde and Gerard Martin occupy the right while Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia can be found on the right.