Cucurella and Grimaldo Reach the World Cup as Barcelona Continues Search for a Left-Back

Luis de la Fuente's squad of 26 players participating in the World Cup carries many implications, among them Barcelona's continued search, led by Hans Flick, for a new left-back. This comes at a time when the Spanish national team includes two of the most prominent players in this position, Alejandro Grimaldo and Marc Cucurella, both of whom graduated from La Masia Academy, according to the Spanish newspaper 'Mundo Deportivo'.

Ironically, Barcelona is still looking in the transfer market to strengthen the left flank, even though the best names in this position within the Spanish national team came from the club's own academy. The team started the season with Alejandro Balde and Gerard Martin, but the former has yet to achieve the expected technical development, while the latter moved to the center-back position due to necessity, becoming an important element in winning the league title.

During the winter transfer window, Joao Cancelo arrived at Barcelona on loan and managed to secure his place as a full-back in major matches.

Hans Flick wishes to retain Cancelo, and the player prefers to stay, but his original club will not make the final contract easy for sporting director Deco.

Alejandro Grimaldo was regarded from a young age as one of the most prominent talents in the left-back position, even captaining Barcelona B. However, Jordi Alba's presence in the first team blocked his path, prompting Benfica to sign him for 1.5 million euros.

Similarly, Marc Cucurella faced the same situation due to Jordi Alba's presence. Ernesto Valverde decided during a summer tour to test him against Juan Miranda, choosing only one player to continue with the first team, ultimately selecting Miranda.

According to the Spanish newspaper, this choice later proved to be unsuccessful, as Cucurella and Grimaldo continued their professional careers outside Barcelona, both expressing a desire to return to the club.

Cucurella is currently a target for Xabi Alonso's plans at Chelsea, while Grimaldo, now 30 years old, has become one of the leading figures at Bayer Leverkusen, even though neither team will participate in the Champions League next season.