Alejandro Balde 'close' to renewing with Barcelona

Alejandro Balde, one of the players who suffered from the viral gastroenteritis that affected a large part of the Barcelona squad, stressed on Monday that the 'Cules' have now recovered from the setback and are looking forward to their pre-season opener against Arsenal on Wednesday.

"We are getting our strength back and the truth is that the team is feeling very good," he told the media.

"I was one of those infected by the virus. But in the end the important thing is that we are all well now. A pity for the fans who couldn't go (to the suspended match against Juventus), but we are already focused on the next game," he added.

Balde also said that there are "talks" with the club for his renewal, claiming that an agreement is 'very close' and expressed his confidence that this issue will be resolved "soon".

Finally, he avoided addressing the rumours that Barcelona are in the race to sign Kylian Mbappe. "It's not up to me (...). As a player, everyone knows what he is like. A player with great characteristics, a very good player, world class. But I don't know anything about his future," he said.