Barcelona confident in Spanish midfielder, but could loan him again in the summer

While Abde Ezzalzouli has enjoyed immense success in his ongoing loan spell at CA Osasuna this season, even being linked with a move away from Camp Nou, his teammate at Barcelona Nico Gonzalez hasn’t had the same level of success.

Currently on loan at Valencia, the midfielder has featured in 15 league matches this term. Although he has shown glimpses of his potential, his overall growth has been halted by injuries, especially at the start of the year.

There was a lengthened discussion at Barça last summer on whether or not they should loan out Nico Gonzalez, especially in the face of fears of Sergio Busquets’ waning form.

However, as Javi Miguel reports, Barça are not likely to go through the same level of discussion over Nico’s future this time around. The general consensus is that the player should be loaned out once again in order to further his growth.

The Barcelona coaching staff rate Nico very highly, as he has shown a lot of potential and is a versatile midfielder, who can operate in various different positions across the second line of press.

However, the staff agrees that Nico is too “green” to assume any responsibility in the first team. This comes in the midst of the growing success of Franck Kessie, who has emerged as a rising star at Barça this year and has earned the respect of his peers.

Kessie’s rapid rise to prominence, coupled with the presence of Gavi, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and the potential renewal of Sergio Busquets means Nico may have little to no prospects in the Barcelona first-team next season.

Therefore, another loan move appears to be the most likely solution for Nico, with Barcelona grooming him to be a trusted option for Xavi from 2024 onwards.