La Masia duo set to be promoted to Barcelona senior team in January

The emergence of Nico Gonzalez and Gavi has been the biggest positive of the 2021/22 season so far Barcelona.

Products of the club’s La Masia academy, the teenage midfielders got their breakthrough under Ronald Koeman due to the unavailability of some of the senior members of the squad, and they have made the most of their chances. Now regular fixtures in the side, Gavi and Nico have become key players for new manager Xavi Hernandez.

Gavi was the star of the show for Barça in the 3-2 win over against Elche this past weekend, a game in which both found the back of the net, with Nico scoring the all-important winner late in the contest. It was his second goal in two games, having netted in the clash against Osasuna as well.

The pair is growing in stature with each passing game and Barcelona are keen on rewarding their progress by officially promoting them to the first-team squad in January, reports Diario AS.

In addition to that, new contracts are in line for the midfield duo as well, with both likely to be given long-term deals with €1 billion release clauses.

While their performances deserve the said promotion, Xavi has an ulterior motive for pushing for their registration with the first team.

As per the report, RFEF regulations require that at any given time in the game, there need to be a minimum of seven players from the first team on the pitch, with a maximum of four from affiliate squads allowed. By adding Nico and Gavi to the first-team list, it offers a bit more leeway with team selection for the manager.

Three exits on the cards

The retirement of Sergio Aguero earlier this month has freed up space on the wage bill for the Catalans to accommodate three players. With Dani Alves set to be registered as well, and the potential promotion of Nico and Gavi, the slots could fill up, leaving no space for reinforcements in January.

The report states that Barcelona are likely to bring in at least two new faces in the winter window, and will need to make space for them with player sales. And the players that are most likely to leave are Luuk de Jong, Yusuf Demir and Sergino Dest.

De Jong was never a good fit and his deadline day signing was perplexing, to say the least. The towering Dutchman has had no impact and with his parent club, Sevilla, not keen on taking him back either, a new loan destination will need to be found.

As for Demir, for all the promise that he showed in pre-season, the Austrian has failed to carry it forward once the season started. Barcelona will cut short his loan stay and send him back to Rapid Vienna in January.

Meanwhile, Dest has found it hard to adapt to Xavi’s tactics and the club are ready to listen to offers for the 21-year-old, with there being significant interest from Bayern Munich.

It could be a busy winter transfer window at Camp Nou.

As for Gavi and Nico, they have done extremely well given the situation at the club and are deserving of their promotion to the senior team. However, the report states that fellow B team starlets like Ez Abde, Alejandro Balde and Ferran Jutgla might have to wait to get officially bumped up to the first-team roster.