Barcelona youngster closing in on a loan move to Osasuna

Ez Abde’s name has been thrown around a lot in the last few days. The winger was touted for a switch to the senior team this season, but Raphinha’s arrival, coupled with Ousmane Dembele’s extension and Ansu Fati returning to fitness meant the wings were booked.

As such, Barcelona started exploring the idea of offloading him, only to be intercepted by the coaching staff. Xavi and co. believed he could be an important asset to the club due to his unique profile, and therefore, it would be best to loan him out for experience.

Real Valladolid were best-placed to sign him on a season-long loan, but it seems the tides have turned. Gerard Romero now claims Osasuna are leading the race for his signature, and unless things change at the last minute, the move should be completed before the transfer market slams shut.

The Pamplona outfit have, in Romero’s words, “bet heavily on Abde” in the last few hours. This can, presumably, be in terms of his wages. Valladolid were ready to pay only a small part of it, but Osasuna might be ready to shell out more.

Abde’s departure is one of the only ones this season that is not at all motivated by Barcelona’s financial circumstances. The management clearly bets on him, and want him to gain some much-needed experience before returning to the Camp Nou.

Last season, he played ten games for the senior team in La Liga, scoring one goal. While his direct contributions are nothing to be written home about, the youngster boasts of some seriously impressive footwork and dribbling ability, which is scarce in the modern game.

In fact, he completed 3.4 successful dribbles per game during those handful of appearances with a success rate of 58%.