Barcelona actively trying to offload three first-team stars – report

While La Liga has given its green light to Barcelona’s economic viability plan, it is now upon the club to execute it appropriately in the coming weeks and sell players so that they can facilitate the signings of top targets such as Lionel Messi and Ilkay Gundogan, among others.

To that end, SPORT is reporting that Barcelona are actively trying to offload three first-team stars in the form of Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, and Franck Kessie.

Fati showed in the final few games of the season that he still has a lot to offer if given a chance in the team. However, it does not seem to have convinced the Barça management, who see the La Masia graduate as one of the players to be sold this summer.

The 20-year-old, who was recently called up to the Spanish national team for the UEFA Nations League, has plenty of admirers in the Premier League and could fetch a fee of around €40-50 million, which would be a big boost for the Blaugrana coffers.

As for Torres, the 23-year-old has failed to make much of an impact in his eighteen months as a Barça player after arriving in a €55 million deal from Manchester City.

Having fallen down the pecking order, Torres is seen as an expendable member of the team, although the Catalans accept that they will be unable to recoup what they invested in him. Reports suggest that the club could sell him for €25 million, amid interest from Newcastle United.

The third player Barcelona are actively trying to ship off at the moment, Kessie, arrived only last summer. The decision to part ways with him is not a sporting one, but purely based on financial motives.

Given that he arrived for free, any fee that Barça receive for him would be chalked down as net profit. Inter Milan are interested, but do not have the funds and are instead hoping to work out a player-exchange arrangement, although such an operation might not suit the Catalans’ needs.