Barcelona attacking duo’s potential summer exits ‘extremely complicated’ – report

As Barcelona chalk out plans for the upcoming summer transfer window, several player exits are possible due to the fact that the club need to slash their wage bill by €200 million.

Reports earlier today suggested that the Blaugrana wish to raise a total of €100 million through player sales in the summer, with five current first-team members said to be on the potential exit list, including attacking trio Ansu Fati, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres.

Fati has fallen down the pecking order at the club this season and has a high chance of leaving, owing to the fact that he is being courted by top clubs in the Premier League.

Furthermore, given that he is an academy player, all proceeds from his sale will be written down as net profit, which would help Barcelona with Fair Play.

However, according to Javi Miguel of AS, the potential exits of Torres and Raphinha would be extremely complicated due to the high amortization costs.

Torres signed for Barcelona in the January transfer window of last year, for a fee of €55 million plus another €10 million in add-ons, which would take the total cost of the operation to €65 million. Upon arriving, he signed a five-and-a-half-year contract that runs until 2027.

With the forward having been at the club only for a year and a half at this point, a large share of his transfer fee, over €40 million, is yet to be amortized.

The same holds true for Raphinha as well, who signed for the club last summer, arriving in a deal worth €58 million plus €7 million in variables, taking the total fee up to €65 million. He too penned a contract that expires in 2027.

Meaning on July 1, Barcelona would still have close to €46 million pending in the amortization of his transfer fee, which is completely apart from his wages.

So, for Barcelona to gain any net profit from the sales of Raphinha and Ferran Torres, they will have to receive gigantic offers in the summer, which seems extremely unlikely despite the fact that the duo has admirers in the Premier League.

Hence, their departures this summer appear very complicated, although Javi Miguel has previously reported that the Catalans could be open to a loan exit with a purchase option in the case of Ferran.

As for Raphinha, he is still valued by the Barça staff, although his recent behaviour after being taken off during matches has not gone too well within the club. So, it remains to be seen what they decide with regard to the Brazilian’s future.