Xavi wants to see 21-year-old Barcelona starlet in pre-season, but loan exit likely

Barcelona board and the sporting management are extremely divided over the future of Nico Gonzalez and if what Ferran Martinez has written for Mundo Deportivo is to be believed, Xavi wants to see the 21-year-old during the pre-season and it is only after this that a verdict will be taken.

Knowing the competition in midfield at Barcelona, Nico decided to spend the previous season on loan at Valencia. The midfielder impressed one and all with his performances but even in the 2023/24 season, getting a place in the first team will be equally complicated.

Right now, many consider Nico as an asset mostly because he can slot into the defensive midfield position. On the other hand, Xavi and his staff are of the idea that they need someone with more experience to cover the defensive line, hence the interest in Oriol Romeu.

But according to Martinez, Xavi considers him as a backup for Frenkie de Jong and not a replacement for Sergio Busquets. 

On a personal level, Nico wants to succeed at Barça but at the same time, he is aware of the competition at hand. And this is why an exit is not ruled out. If the coach tells him to go on loan yet again, the midfielder will accept it as he knows Barcelona want to maintain control over young players.

However, as iterated earlier, with an exit is not ruled out, the 21-year-old has a plethora of options to choose from.

In this regard, fellow La Liga side Real Betis are credited with an interest. It is believed that the team has been interested in Nico for weeks and it is an option that would satisfy everybody’s needs.

Furthermore, Valencia are more than open to having him for one more season but the operations seem next to impossible. 

Apart from the La Liga teams, his agent, Jorge Mendes has also been notified of interest from FC Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers but at the moment, Barcelona and Nico want to analyse their options and it will take a few weeks to come up with a conclusion.