Barcelona winger’s future could take until the end of the transfer window to be resolved

Barcelona winger Ez Abde is coming on the back of a strong and successful year. The 21-year-old spent the last season away on loan at CA Osasuna and finished with six goals and two assists, helping the club achieve a seventh-place finish in La Liga and a spot in the Copa del Rey finals.

Following on that, Abde led the Moroccan national team to the trophy at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this month, finishing as the Golden Boot winner of the tournament.

Given his development over the past ten months or so, Xavi Hernandez wants to keep Abde at Barcelona for the upcoming season. However, there are no guarantees about the Moroccan winger’s continuity at the Catalan outfit and it will depend on multiple factors.

Indeed, according to journalist Toni Juanmarti, Abde’s future could take until the end of the summer transfer window to be resolved as it hinges on several other aspects.

For starters, the winger will have minutes in the pre-season and his performances during the friendlies could dictate where his future lies.

The Barça coaching staff believes that Abde’s presence in the team could help ‘stimulate’ other forwards in the squad due to the added competition for places.

However, given the sheer number of options that Xavi already has at his disposal in the frontline, it would be near impossible for the club to retain his services if there are no exits from the attacking unit.

Barcelona have Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, and Ferran Torres as options for the flank while Xavi has also used Gavi as a false-winger on several occasions in the past.

So, Abde would have to compete with all these players for a spot in the squad, which would be a hard task. With Ferran being linked with an exit, his departure could potentially open up a place for Abde in the squad.

But the Spaniard reluctant to leave, the 21-year-old youngster could end up being the one sacrificed if a good offer comes along. Nothing is certain at this point and as the report outlines, Abde’s future could take a while to be resolved.