Alex Valle joins Celtic on loan from Barcelona…

Celtic this morning confirmed the signing of  20-year-old Barcelona left-back, Alex Valle on a season-long loan, subject to international clearance. And Fabrizio Romano also confirmed the deal had gone through with some additional details on Valle’s situation at Barcelona.

“Official, confirmed. Alex Valle leaves Barça on loan to join Celtic, deal completed. New release clause into his contract at Barça extended until June 2026, one more season ahead of Celtic loan,” Fabrizio Romano reported this morning.

Alex joined Barcelona a decade ago when he was part of Barca’s famed La Masia youth academy and he started playing for Barcelona B in 2022. After a six-month loan spell at Andorra, he played last season on loan at Levante.

This season he has been part of the Barcelona first-team squad, and he was on the bench for their opening two La Liga fixtures. The defender has also represented Spain at Under-18, U19 and U20 levels, and made his Under-20 debut while still playing for the U19s.

Brendan Rodgers is clearly delighted with his first signing to be confirmed this week: “We’re delighted to have landed Alex on this season-long loan as we continue to strengthen the squad for the season ahead. His footballing style will complement our attacking play as well as giving us more options in our backline.

“Alex has been brought up in a real high-quality footballing environment learning all the good habits and skills associated with any top team. He is a player with some tremendous attributes,” the Celtic manager said. “He has performed really well for Levante last season, been around Barcelona’s first team this year already and he is a welcome and quality addition to our squad.”

Speaking to Celtic TV after joining the Scottish Champions, Alex Valle said: “I’m very excited, it’s a great opportunity to come to this historic club. They have given me a lot of confidence to come here, so I will try to do my best to return the confidence.

“I’ve heard a lot about the fans and what we can experience in this stadium, so I’m just excited to see it in real life. The manager gave me a lot of confidence to come here. He told me that he has watched some games in Barca and Levante, so I’m really happy to be here and looking forward to training with the team.

“I would say this way of playing is the best for my style and for what I like. I’ve been learning it in the Barca academy, so I’m looking forward to playing.”

Welcome to Celtic, Alex you’re going to love it!

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