Yamal and Balde's agent: Mendes' visit sparks controversy at Barcelona
Players' agent Jorge Mendes touches down in Barcelona within hours for a flying visit, with Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal on his agenda. No meeting with the club is scheduled, though a get-together could still happen spontaneously.
Sport newspaper reported that Mendes will arrive at around two in the afternoon at the private jet terminal for a quick trip to the city.
He'll stay in Barcelona for only a few hours, with a string of commitments and meetings to fit in.
His presence in the city isn't connected to a specific visit to Barcelona, but a meeting during the day can't be ruled out. The relationship between Mendes and the Catalan club is excellent, and the Portuguese has been one of their most prominent allies in recent years, particularly during periods of financial difficulty.
Beyond the specific reason for the trip, his work is inevitably tied to the sporting situation of his players. One file at Barcelona deserves special attention: that of Alejandro Balde, who has so far been unable to secure the role he expected at the start of the season.
In the final days of the transfer window, Balde held a conversation with Hansi Flick, telling the coach he wanted to stay and insisting he could turn his situation around. The player still believes he has every capacity to recover the level he showed in previous seasons, when he ranked among the most prominent full-backs in Europe.
But the competition is fierce. Flick believes he currently has other options in a better state in terms of readiness, while the strong performances of Gerard Martín make it even harder for Balde to get a chance to play.
Lamine Yamal, one of the most prominent players represented by Jorge Mendes, is living a completely different reality. The Barcelona star is going through one of the best periods of his career and remains a candidate to win the Ballon d'Or thanks to enormous performances.
Inside Barcelona, they feel great satisfaction with his level and his form. Lamine's situation has nothing to do with Balde's, but he too keeps Mendes closely tied to the day-to-day work within the club.
