Official: Barcelona dump Demir after failed loan spell
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 13 Jan 2022 10:21 GMT
- 5 min read
Barcelona have announced that they have put an end to Yusuf Demir's loan from Rapid Vienna.
Demir arrived in the summer having been branded the 'Austrian Messi' and with a great deal of hype surrounding his signing on loan.
The move to Camp Nou has proven to be something of a nightmare for the 18-year-old.
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After playing nine times in all competitions, he was frozen out by Barcelona, who would have been obliged to sign him had he made 10 appearances for the first team.
The cash-strapped Catalan side, though, were not sufficiently convinced by the right winger that he merited the €10 million fee that they would have had to pay.
As such, Demir was frozen out of action. His last outing for Barca came on 8 December, when he played four minutes of a Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich.
Barca had subsequently stripped the teenager of his squad number and cast him to the youth team, where he would have been unable to return from this season.
The announcement on Thursday, then, that his loan deal had been terminated has come as little surprise.
"FC Barcelona and Rapid Vienna have reached an agreement to end the loan of Yusuf Demir, who will be returning to the Austrian club," the Spanish club posted on social media.
What next for Demir?
Demir’s miserable tale may yet have a happy ending, with several clubs in the Bundesliga circling over him.
Attracted by the nine goals he scored and the three assists he provided for Rapid Vienna last season, there are reports that Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt are all ready to make a January move foe the versatile forward.
Demir’s time at Barcelona may have drawn to an ugly close, but the future remains bright for the Rapid Vienna star.
