Barcelona midfielder asked for Xavi’s permission twice before leaving

Nico Gonzalez’s temporary departure to fellow La Liga side Valencia is been looked upon as a rather brave gesture.

For once, it is the player himself who decided to move in order to gain prominence in the Barcelona squad for the next decade. And in that regard, he had to convince his manager Xavi a lot to receive the green signal for the transfer. 

As reported by TV3, it took him two attempts to finalize his move to Valencia. The first time he went with the proposal, Xavi decided to retain him as he wanted to see how he would perform in the pre-season club friendlies.

As it turns out, he was rather used as an alternative to a certain Sergio Busquets in the midfield. However, with Miralem Pjanic now gaining ground, it became evident that Nico had to find a new team to get regular minutes.

Hence, by the time he went for a follow-up, Xavi understood the situation and decided to give this transfer a chance. The manager believed it was brave of the young midfielder to understand what is good for his career.

He is of the opinion that playing under one of the finest defensive midfielders of all time, Gennaro Gattuso, at Valencia would help him develop the defensive skills that would further help him in his Barcelona career in the long run.

For now, the midfield options Xavi has at his disposal are stacked to the core. The likes of Pedri, Gavi and Sergio Busquets are expected to be the first-choice trio as Frenkie de Jong, Franck Kessie, and Miralem Pjanic will complete a perfect roster.

Therefore, the only viable option for Nico was to move to a fellow La Liga side and finding a place in Valencia’s playing XI would help his cause a big time. Furthermore, he may also catch the eyes of the Spanish head coach Luis Enrique.

Nico is expected to sign his new loan contract with Valencia in the coming hours. At the same time, his representatives are also working on a new Barcelona deal as his current deal ends in 2024.