Madrid, Sep 6 (IANS): FC Barcelona's left-back Alejandro Balde remains hopeful about finalising a contract extension with the club soon, emphasising the team's ambition for European success this season.

In an interview with El Mundo Deportivo newspaper from the Spain national team's training camp in Madrid, Balde shared, "everything is going well," regarding contract negotiations and expressed his desire "to continue" with the club, reports Xinhua.

Now a regular in Barca's starting lineup, the 19-year-old's current contract, set to expire in June 2024, raises concerns as he could potentially depart without a transfer fee next summer.

"I have been here for 13 seasons and I hope I can have a very long career at this club," Balde affirmed.

Shifting the focus to the upcoming season, Balde highlighted Barca's objectives. As La Liga champions, the team is keen on making a significant impact in Europe, especially after failing to advance beyond the group stages in the previous two Champions League campaigns.

"We have to go for more, for the Champions League, because we suffered two hard knocks over the past two years and this time we have to do better.

"At the end of the day, we are Barca and we have to be candidates to win all the competitions we are playing in," Balde concluded.