Barcelona make Serie A switch for defender official

After a week of heavy speculation, Barcelona have announced that Alex Valle will indeed join Como in Serie A on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old left-back had been on loan at Celtic for the first half of the year, but after 19 appearances, decided to make the switch to Serie A.

Valle performed well for the Scottish champions, providing 5 assists and featuring in the Champions League as he battled Greg Taylor for a starting spot. But with Kieran Tierney’s return on the horizon, his spot came under threat.

Marcus Rashford is still waiting for Barça. The Manchester United winger will wait until the last minute to get a call from the Catalan club. @RogerTorello

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 31, 2025

Crucially, Barcelona have not included an option to buy in the deal, despite talk of a €6m clause earlier in the week. That allows the Blaugrana a degree of control over his future.

“Alex is a talented young defender with a solid foundation from his time at Barcelona and valuable experience gained during his loan at Celtic. His ability to contribute both defensively and offensively will be a great asset to our squad,” said Como manager Cesc Fabregas to the club website.

Valle is out of contract in 2026, and Barcelona Sporting Director Deco is keen to sell any players this summer if new deals are not completed. MD add that Valle has a clause in his deal though that allows the Blaugrana to renew him for a further two years.

Day 1 pic.twitter.com/nKHKx0dXdS

— Como1907 (@Como_1907) January 31, 2025

“I’m delighted to be here and excted about the project being built at Como 1907. I really like the style of play here and I think it suits me well. I spoke with Fabregas, and he has given me a lot of confidence. I believe we share the same vision. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead and can’t wait to get on the pitch with my new teammates,” Valle said on arrival.

There will be decisions to make for next season for Deco, with Barcelona have renewed Gerard Martin’s contract until 2027 just last week. It seems likely that Alejandro Balde will remain first choice next season, but who is competition will be is as of yet uncertain.