Barcelona to begin negotiations over January exits for two veteran stars

Barcelona’s recent defeat to Bayern Munich has once again put out an indicator that the club are still in transition and need more quality to be able to compete with the top dogs of Europe.

According to Diario SPORT, Barcelona are looking to fast-track that process by offloading two of their most experienced players in the January transfer window. The players in question are Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba.

Both these defenders have fallen out of favour in recent months and have no place in Xavi’s setup. Their performances this season have also been quite underwhelming, with Pique, in particular, emerging as one of the worst performers in the crucial defeat to Inter Milan earlier this season.

This has propelled Barcelona’s efforts to try and get rid of them in January, in an effort to make space for new signings.

However, sanctioning the sale of Alba and Pique in January will not be easy, as the club are due to pay them a figure of €60 million and €85 million, respectively, meaning a combined total of €145 million until the fulfilment of their contracts in 2024.

Barcelona, nonetheless, are considering the approach as they do have ‘remnants’ of cash left from the economic levers they used in the summer. They are planning on utilising those funds in order to sanction the exit of Alba and Pique by mutually agreeing on a termination of contracts.

Their departures could go a long way in helping Barça reduce their inflated wage budget, which, in turn, could help them sign new players. At the same time, they may still face difficulties reaching agreements with the players in question.

Pique, for one, has already refused to agree to a salary reduction earlier in the season and may not entertain the idea of the reduction of his dues that will enable Barça to sell him off.

Alba, on the other hand, has shown no desire to leave Camp Nou, and although there may be suitors in January, whether or not the player wants to move elsewhere remains to be seen.