Seven Barcelona players who could still leave the club this summer

“Barcelona does not have transitional seasons.”

Joan Laporta’s words, as optimistic, rosy, as they were, did not ring true for 2021 FC Barcelona. The institution was a mess, the squad was underwhelming, and fans, well, they were less than joyous.

The truth is, Barcelona desperately needed a transitional season, and they got one. Ronald Koeman was sacked halfway through the season, with the keys given to Xavi.

The Spaniard had a ton of tactical backing to support his cause, but he is still a relatively inexperienced manager. Half-a-season went by quickly for him, leading the club to a second-placed finish in La Liga.

While Joan Laporta did his best to shuffle the pack in the winter, the real transition took place this summer as Barcelona acquired five five-star players in Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Franck Kessie.

The clearout, too, is going well. Two days back, Samuel Umtiti joined a list of 11 players that have left the club on loan or permanently. And this list will likely continue to grow as we head into the final five days of the transfer window.

1. Sergino Dest

Dest has been left out of the matchday squad for all three games so far in the league, with Xavi preferring to use Ronald Araujo in that role. The manager refuses to elaborate on his decision, saying that the player ‘knows his situation’.

Manchester United have been quoted with an interest, but no talks have taken place yet. Barcelona are expected to continue looking for a right-back even if Dest stays at the club.

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang is Barcelona’s leading candidate to generate some revenue through player sales. He is the subject of an interest from Chelsea and Manchester United, with the former given preference.

The Catalans are asking for €25-30 million for the striker, but Chelsea do not want to spend that much. They have previously offered €14 million, €18 million, and most recently, somewhere around €20-22 million for him, to no avail.

3. Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay is on the last year of his contract, and will not, in all probability, make the club enough money. He was actually going to join Juventus on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Barcelona.

The move fell through due to the failed Adrien Rabiot deal with United. Speaking of whom, they have found their way into Memphis’ rumours, too, but are unlikely to make a move anytime soon.

4. Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona have tried their best to push out Frenkie de Jong, with Manchester United and Chelsea ready to meet the €85 million valuation for the player. He is dead-set on staying at the club, though, and has refused to leave for the Premier League.

That said, with such little time remaining in the transfer window, anything can happen.

5. Martin Braithwaite

Probably the toughest case of them all: Martin Braithwaite.

The Danish striker is not an asset for Xavi, the manager has made that clear multiple times. He was not included for the pre-season friendlies, the official games, and even the charity game against Manchester City this week.

He refuses to leave, though. There have been reports claiming that Barça are going to pay him €5 million to terminate the contract, but with little to no updates since.

6. Ez Abde

Barcelona’s coaching staff reportedly admires Ez Abde, but at 20, with such a high ceiling, he needs and deserves as much game-time as he can get. Therefore, it seems Barça are finalising a loan move for the winger to Real Valladolid, which can be finalised as early as tomorrow.

7. Miralem Pjanic

Finally, the one player Xavi explicitly confirmed will stay this season – Miralem Pjanic. The Bosnian had a solid pre-season and was touted to serve as Sergio Busquets’ replacement, but started on the bench against Real Sociedad with Busi suspended.

The rumours about his exit started flooding in, in no time, with Gerard Romero claiming that a Qatari team is interested in acquiring him. Nothing concrete so far, though.