Barcelona put 24 players up for sale, including De Jong & Aubameyang
FT Desk
- Updated: 26 Apr 2022 15:34 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are set for a transfer revolution this summer, with only seven players safe from the chop.
That is according to a dramatic report in Sport on Tuesday, which claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta is planning an ‘Open Heart Surgery’ to the Blaugrana squad.
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Laporta returned to Barcelona last year aiming to bring back the glory days from his first spell as president.
However, 2021 was a difficult year in Catalunya as Barcelona were beset by financial debts that reached €1.3 billion, while they also lost Lionel Messi to PSG on a free transfer.
A difficult start to the season saw Barcelona knocked out of the Champions League group stages and Ronald Koeman sacked.
Koeman’s replacement Xavi then oversaw a renaissance as Barcelona started 2022 on fire. Partly thanks to the January signings of Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, for the first few months of the year Barca were arguably the best team in Europe.
They roared up the league standings, thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in the Clasico and made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
However, Barcelona’s form has suddenly plummeted in April. They were knocked out of Europe by Eintracht Frankfurt and are now fighting for the top four again having lost three of their last four matches.
This has led to Laporta coming to the decision that Barcelona need a transfer revolution this summer, similar to the one from his first summer in 2003 when 14 players were sold and 11 brought in.
Sport reports that only seven players are considered untouchable and not for sale.
These seven players are Ansu Fati, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez, Eric Garcia and January signing Ferran Torres.
They are considered to be the nucleus of the team and squad in terms of building the next great Barcelona side.
Every other player registered to Barcelona – all 24 of them in the senior squad – are considered sellable at the right price.
These are goalkeepers Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Neto, defenders Sergino Dest, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves (contract expiring), Jordi Alba, Oscar Mingueza and Samuel Umtiti, midfielders Sergio Busquets, Riqui Puig, Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong, and attackers Ousmane Dembele (expiring), Memphis Depay, Adama Traore (on loan), Martin Braithwaite, Luuk de Jong (on loan) and prolific January signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The following six players who are out on loan this season are also available to buy at the right price; Inaki Pena, Alex Collado, Philippe Coutinho, Miralem Pjanic, Francisco Trincao and Rey Manaj.
Laporta believes that all of these players are upgradeable and that funds made from their sales can be used to buy better players.
Of course, not all 24 players will be sold, but Laporta has a clear vision over who he sees as the future of Barcelona and who is expendable.
