Up to seven FC Barcelona players are now in the last six months of their contracts as the new year approaches.
Along with Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto, Inaki Pena, Arnau Tenas, Memphis Depay, Marcos Alonso, and Hector Bellerin, the septet also consists of two club leaders. These players can now discuss a pre-contract deal with the clubs of their choice in preparation for a summer transfer as a free agent.
Barcelona must now assess the situation and decide which players they want to keep and which ones they are willing to let go.
The Blaugrana must take into account a number of factors while doing so, including the player’s position on the team, their salary, and the club’s Financial Fair Play difficulties. In light of this, Barça Universal examines the three potential replacements that the Catalan behemoths are unlikely to keep.
Depay, Memphis
The first and most obvious is that Memphis Depay’s time at Barcelona has come to an end. If not for certain circumstances, a transfer would likely have been approved in January. The Dutchman has only participated in three games so far this season and is no longer favored by Xavi.
Depay has significantly slipped down the pecking order over the past year, despite the fact that he finished as the Catalans’ leading goal scorer in his first campaign.
This winter, the Blaugrana would be willing to sell, and there is also interest in him. Depay, though, is adamant about staying since he wants to leave as a free agent in the summer with the hopes of earning a higher salary and signing bonus.
Hector Bellerin was brought in as a last-minute replacement to strengthen the right-back position this past summer, but he has struggled to live up to expectations as a Barcelona player.
The former Arsenal player has only appeared on the field three times in La Liga and twice in the UEFA Champions League so far this season, and he hasn’t exactly looked impressive.
The former La Masia trainee rejoined the team and agreed to a short-term, extremely low-paying contract. Bellerin’s second tenure at his childhood club will be brief given that Barcelona wants to sign a new right-back and is expected to extend Sergi Roberto’s contract.
The former Arsenal player has only appeared on the field three times in La Liga and twice in the UEFA Champions League so far this season, and he hasn’t exactly looked impressive.
The former La Masia trainee rejoined the team and agreed to a short-term, extremely low-paying contract. Bellerin’s second tenure at his childhood club will be brief given that Barcelona wants to sign a new right-back and is expected to extend Sergi Roberto’s contract.
Sébastien Busquets
Barcelona is already working on the extensions of Inaki Pena and Arnau Tenas because they consider them as the goalkeeping staff’s future leaders. The extension for Marcos Alonso is due to his excellent adaptation. The player most likely to leave at the end of the current campaign is Sergio Busquets.
Xavi has made it obvious that he wants Busquets to stay with the team for an additional season. However, the player is claimed to have made the decision to move on, despite recent suggestions that he could be open to the idea of a contract extension.
Regardless of that, Busquets’ future may depend on the club’s Financial Fair Play problems. Barça needs to save close to €200 million from their payroll, and keeping their highest earner on board would work against them in that effort.
