Barça departures status update: Coutinho, Rakitic, Umtiti...
With LaLiga giants Barcelona preparing to ship out a good few players this summer, AS takes a look at where that process is currently at.
Jasper Cillessen:
Cillessen will leave Barcelona, but the club are in no mood to let him go on the cheap. Indeed, the Dutch goalkeeper recently complained: "Asking for 60m euros [his release clause] won't help." He didn't enjoy the best of conclusions to the 2018/19 season, performing poorly in the Copa del Rey final and also failing to shine for the Netherlands at the Nations League finals. Barça are hopeful of banking 20m for the 30-year-old, who wants to remain in one of Europe's major leagues.
Nelson Semedo:
Semedo wants out. Having told Barça that his client is unhappy at not being ahead of Sergi Roberto in the pecking order at right-back, agent Jorge Mendes is looking to sort out a deal with Atlético Madrid. The club told Semedo some weeks ago that they weren't going to let him leave, but a big-money offer could lead to a change of heart. A bid of 40m would probably persuade them to sell. The doubts that exist at the club over Roberto's displays at full-back, coupled with Moussa Wagué's inexperience, would make it imperative that Barça sign a replacement.
Samuel Umtiti:
Umtiti this weekend insisted he will be staying and, if Matthijs de Ligt does not end up arriving from Ajax, that could well be that. Despite his questionable physical state, the centre-back - who extended his contract until 2023 last year - would be likely to remain in Catalonia. If De Ligt does choose Barça over the host of other suitors chasing his signature, though, the LaLiga champions will surely seek to find the French international another club. Whether or not he would be easily convinced of the merits of moving on is another matter entirely, though.
Rafinha Alcántara:
Having missed most of the 2018/19 season with torn knee ligaments, Rafinha's chequered injury record makes finding a buyer for the midfielder a somewhat taller order for Barcelona. Although coach Ernesto Valverde was impressed with the Brazilian's displays in pre-season last summer, it seems unlikely that he'll be given another campaign to prove his worth. With just a year left to run on his contract, Barça won't get more than 10m for the youth product, 26.
Denis Suárez:
Barcelona are trying to get as much as possible for Suárez, but, although there are several clubs interested in the Spaniard, the offers that have so far come in for him are not all that sizeable. As is the case with Rafinha, it seems unlikely that the Catalans will pocket more than 10m for the 25-year-old.
André Gomes:
Gomes has had a good season on loan at Premier League club Everton, and is being eyed by a few other sides in the English top flight. Barça, who paid 35m plus add-ons to sign the Portuguese from Valencia in summer 2016, are confident of recouping at least 30m for the midfielder, 25.
Ivan Rakitic:
Rakitic has made it plain that he doesn't want to leave, and the likelihood that Valverde will stay on is a help to the Croat's cause. However, he is still waiting for an improved deal that has not materialised and, although Barça are in no doubt about his continued on-field value and are not against keeping hold of him, they would also not be averse to bringing in a significant fee for a player who is now 31. If an offer of 40 to 50m euros were to come in, they could well consider letting him go. A tricky situation.
Philippe Coutinho:
Coutinho isn't happy at Barcelona, who now seem resigned to the fact that their club-record signing has been a comprehensive flop, and feel it is in everyone's interests to act quickly to resolve the situation. Unless he is swayed by a mega-bucks offer from further afield - something which, given the Brazilian's relative youth, seems unlikely - his most probable destination appears to be the Premier League, where he enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Liverpool. Barça would jump at any bid around the 90 to 100m mark, but, unless he performs particularly well for Brazil at this summer's Copa América, such a figure doesn't look to be on the cards.
Malcom:
Barça have received an offer from Borussia Dortmund, but would rather the winger went to the Premier League, where there is interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. If Coutinho and Malcom both end up departing, Barça will have to bring at least one more attacker in, as their forward options would be reduced to Ousmane Dembélé, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Antoine Griezmann if he finally joins from Atlético, and youngsters such as Carles Pérez and Abel Ruiz. Malcom would be expected to leave for around 40m.
Youngsters:
Barça must also decide whether defender Jean-Clair Todibo, 19, who made two LaLiga appearances last season following his January switch from Toulouse, is to be loaned out or not. Meanwhile, 19-year-old left-back Juan Miranda has asked to leave; his future is expected to be resolved soon.