FC BARCELONA
Barcelona planning to sell six players to be able to sign next summer
The Catalan giants want to sign new players in the summer transfer market, but to do that they will first need to sell some of their footballers.
Barcelona were the busiest team in Europe in last summer’s transfer market, as they signed up to seven players to fight for all trophies, and a few months later, the Catalan club is also expected to have plenty of work in that domain, especially in the selling aspect.
Some players haven’t lived up to the expectations and the club wants to put them in the market, but Els Blaugrana are well aware they need to sell a significant number of players to meet Financial Fair Play regulations and be able to add some new faces next term.
One of the players that are expected to leave Barça in the summer is Jordi Alba, according to soccer insider Fabrizio Romano.
“Barcelona are working on fixing their current financial difficulties. Financial Fair Play will be crucial for them to understand how much they can spend”, he wrote in his Daily Substack Column.
“They will work also on the outgoings, for sure; also to complete potential new signings like Iñigo Martinez. Jordi Alba was already available on the market one year ago but Barça didn’t find the right solution”, he added.
The club’s interest in selling Alba is not new, as they tried to find an exit for the Catalan player last season but the player ended up staying in Barcelona.
“Jordi Alba was already available on the market one year ago but Barca didn’t find the right solution”, Romano stated.
Alba and five more names
However, the L’Hospitalet native isn’t the only player that will likely leave the club at the end of this term.
According to Forbes, Barcelona, who are eyeing the return of Lionel Messi, need to wipe $217m off their wage bill to be able to sign new players.
The same report stated that the Barcelona management is working on the departure of another five players: Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres, Raphinha, and Franck Kessie.
However, it won’t be easy for Barcelona to find a solution in the case of Alba, as the player has repeatedly said that he wants to stay, and not many clubs may be interested in matching his large wages.