Barcelona loan forward expected to join first-team in the summer

In an attempt to clear out the squad in the summer to raise money through player sales, Barcelona decided to loan out several players hoping a few of them would convert into permanent moves.

Clement Lenglet joined Tottenham Hotspur, Francisco Trincao moved to Sporting Lisbon, Sergino Dest joined AC Milan, Samuel Umtiti was loaned to Lecce, Alex Collado to Elche, Nico Gonzalez to Valencia, and finally, Ez Abde to Osasuna.

These players have had varying levels of success on their loan stints so far. Umtiti, for example, seems to have revived close to his best form and is on the radar of a few big teams in Italy.

Dest, on the other hand, will likely return to Barcelona as his move to Milan has not materialised into success at all.

One loan that has, and will likely blossom into a role at Barcelona, on the other hand, is Abde’s. The Catalan coaching staff are very happy with his stint with Osasuna, and according to Javi Miguel, the player will join the Barça first team next season.

Abde has played 18 games for Osasuna in the league, starting 11 of those. While he has scored just one goal and given two assists in the process, his dribbling and ability to take on players has only improved in that time.

Further, the 21-year-old has come in clutch for the 8th-placed La Liga side scoring the winner against Sevilla in the league in a 2-3 win, and another one against Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey semi-finals less than a week later.

Abde’s return perfectly coincides with Barcelona’s misfiring left-wing, too. Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres are under huge scrutiny for their less-than-convincing performances this season, and one or both of the two could be sold in the summer to raise money through player sales.