Barcelona not negotiating early exits for Spanish duo, but option is not ruled out

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are not negotiating any early exit for veteran duo Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba at the moment. The same holds true for another club captain in Sergio Busquets.

Following their elimination from the UEFA Champions League last night, reports claimed that Barça were starting talks to get rid of both Pique and Alba in January, even though their contracts expire in the summer of 2024.

The club saw this as a move to get rid of their huge salaries which would aid their bid to bring in new players during the winter window. Neither defenders are key part of Xavi’s setup, with Pique the fifth-choice centre-half while Alba is among three left-backs in the squad.

However, as per the aforementioned report, there are no such talks being held at the moment at Barcelona, although the idea is not entirely ruled out.

The reason behind not taking such a step is that according to ‘Fair Play’ rules, their salaries will be included in the accounts for the next summer even if the club offloads them by reaching an agreement to terminate their contracts or by paying them what they are owed.

So, Barça believe that they would be better off having the players at their disposal if their salaries will be computed in Fair Play as it would give them additional depth in the roster.

Injuries have been a major issue for Barcelona recently, with Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen still sidelined while Jules Kounde also spent time out on the treatment tables.

President Joan Laporta is believed to have discussed with other club presidents while he also plans to take it up with La Liga supremo Javier Tebas to check if there is any leeway regarding such a move.

However, at the moment, there are no negotiations being held to get rid of either Alba or Pique or even Busquets, whose contract expires next summer.