Details revealed as Balde's renewal 'almost ready'

Everything is 'almost ready' for Barcelona to extend the contract of Alejandro Balde, Lluis Miguelsanz of Diario Sport reports (4 stars).

The left-back will sign a new deal until 2027. His current contract runs until 2024.

Balde's salary will be in the same region as those of Ronald Araujo and Gavi, the two latest academy products to extend their deals with the club. They currently earn around €7m gross per season.

The plan is to sign the official papers by the end of 2022 but the exact date depends on whether Balde is called up for the World Cup. The 19-year-old is also expected to be promoted to the first team in January.

Barca decided to make Alex's extension a priority after his astronomical progress at the start of the 2022/23 season.