Barcelona: Five player situations to fix before 31 August
Barcelona need to resolve the situations of Cillessen, Rafinha, Alcácer, Munir and Sergi Samper as soon as possible, with potential transfers on the cards.
Barcelona have had a good transfer window in terms of moving players on, far better than expected. They’ve filled their bank account and dealt with some problematic situations at a stroke. In summary, they’ve sold Paulinho (50 million, to be banked in January), Deulofeu (13 million), Mina (30.25), Digne (20.20), Aleix Vidal (8.50), Marlon (6), André Gomes (2.25) and they’ve sent Douglas out on loan.
But there are still five players whose situation the club needs to deal with:
Cillessen
He wants to leave Barcelona because he’s desperate to play more. But Barça decided before their tour of the US to shut the door on him. He’s got a 60 million euro buy-out clause, meaning only a massive offer would make Camp Nou bosses reconsider. And with the Premier League and Serie A windows closed the player’s options are limited.
The most likely solution is for him to reach an agreement with Barcelona to spend a third season at the club, playing in the Copa del Rey and as back up to Ter Stegen in case of injury, and then in June 2019 he’ll be allowed to leave.
Rafinha
He played the first competitive game (the Spanish Super Cup) and was in the squad for the first Liga game, though he didn’t play. His problem is he has several players ahead of him (Rakitic, Arthur, Vidal). However, Valverde was impressed by his pre-season and he will play if he decides to stay. What’s not clear is if he wants to. His best bet for a move, to Italy, is off now the market there has shut. But an offer from a big Spanish club (say Valencia or Sevilla) could see leave. He’s under contract till 2020, with a clause of 75 million euros.
Paco Alcácer
He’s in a difficult spot. He’s under contract till 2021, but not really in Valverde’s plans. He’s rejected offers from the Premier League and may be hoping a club like Valencia, Sevilla or Villarreal will step in for him, but his lack of opportunity over the past two years has affected his brand. Barcelona wouldn’t mind him leaving, but wherever he goes would need to pick up his fat wage bill.
Munir
He’s received more offers than Alcácer has, but of the two the club would prefer Munir to stay. He had a decent pre-season, but the big issue is his contract. His deal comes to an end in June next year, meaning could play this season then leave for free. Or he could renew and Barcelona could look to make some money on his sale… If he doesn’t leave his situation could change radically over the course of the next few days.
Samper
His contract finishes in 2019. He doesn’t even have a squad number, though Barça have told him that if he doesn’t find a new club they’ll give him one. His injuries have caused him no end of problems and there have been few offers for him, though his attitude has been impeccable and the club want to do everything to help him, either leaving or spending his last year at the club.
