Barcelona defender now considering leaving club at the end of the season – report

As journalist Javier Miguel writes for SPORT, the imminent departure of veteran defender Jordi Alba has begun to take shape at Barcelona.

Alba is one of the highest earners on the teams, so while his departure on a sporting level might hit Barcelona a bit, the team might actually benefit a lot in terms of their economic approach.

Now, Alba has always been reluctant to leave Barcelona and while he has been indeed outspoken about it, the recent turn of events has forced him to reconsider his future with the Blaugrana.

It is been said that Saudi side Al-Hilal have sent offers to Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in an attempt to lure Lionel Messi into the Saudi Professional League.

So if the player is willing to move, Barcelona will make his exit smooth as a whistle. They would voluntarily give him the letter of freedom but in return, they would want the player to let go of a significant amount of the salary that he is yet to collect from the team. This includes some deferrals that are still pending as well.

At the moment, everyone involved are of the same idea that Alba’s departure would be quite beneficial for the team as the left-back position is conveniently occupied by the likes of Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso.

For what it is worth, Alba’s role this season has anyway reduced to a great extent as 19-year-old Balde has more or less made the left-back spot his own. Alba understands that next season, the situation will not be any different which is why he has opened the doors for an exit at the end of the season.

Barcelona must understand that while his departure can be emotional, this will be beneficial as they continue to find ways to comply with the Financial FairPlay rules.