Barcelona loanee could return to the club in January, permanent transfer a likely option

According to journalist Albert Roge, Barcelona midfielder Alex Collado could return to the club from his loan spell at Elche in the January transfer window.

Collado chose to sign for Elche in the summer transfer window after it became clear that he would be starved of regular game-time if he stayed put at Barça.

The 23-year-old versatile star has been unable to find his footing at his current club and has played just over 500 minutes despite being available for all of Elche’s 14 La Liga matches thus far.

The dramatic situation at Elche has not helped matters for Collado as the La Liga side find themselves at the bottom of the table with just four points.

They had changed their manager in early October, naming Jorge Almiron as the boss after sacking Francisco. Less than a month later, Elche have gotten rid of Almiron as well, and are currently without a head coach.

Given their dreadful situation, Elche are keen on strengthening their squad in the winter transfer window. And, to that end, they could decide to terminate Collado’s loan agreement as the Barcelona ace occupies a significant chunk of their salary mass.

Deciding to cut short on his loan deal would free up space on the wage bill for the bottom feeders to sign a few more players in January. So, they are contemplating such an option as they chalk out plans for the second half of the season.

Should Collado end up returning to Barcelona, the report states that a permanent transfer would be a likely option for the 23-year-old. His contract expires in 2024 and, as things stand, there is not much space for the academy graduate in Xavi’s plans.

So, Barça could look at him as an opportunity to raise some cash and free up some salary space, given that they too are planning to enter the market for reinforcements in January.

Such a move would come as a boost for Elche as well as they will receive 20% of the transfer fee from Collado’s sale as per the terms agreed in his loan deal.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the 23-year-old as he seeks continuity in his club career.