Xavi Hernandez has excluded five players from Barcelona’s Pre-season tour in a bid to quickly sell the players to generate revenue for the club.
The five players in question are Samuel Umtiti, Oscar Mingueza, Martin Braithwaite, goalie Neto, and midfielder Riqui Puig.
According to the Spanish news outlet Sport, Xavi is ready to “force” players like Neto, Umtiti, and Braithwaite to leave this summer because he believes they are unnecessary.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Mingueza and Puig, two graduates of Barcelona’s renowned youth system, are also on the way out.
Puig might sign a new contract, but the club’s main goal is to find a new home for the 22-year-old, according to other reports.
Alves left the team after his contract expired, Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong both returned to their original clubs, while Barcelona has already parted company with defender Clement Lenglet, who was loaned to Tottenham Hotspur.
The free transfers of former Chelsea player Andreas Christensen and former AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie was successfully completed but they’re yet to be registered. Raphinha also joined Barca earlier this week for over €55 million.
For a very long time, the Old Trafford club has been attempting to finalize a deal for the Dutch midfielder. Despite recently reaching a contract with Barcelona, they haven’t succeeded in persuading De Jong to join the team.
Erik ten Hag, the manager of United, has made it obvious that De Jong is his main goal this summer and that he will be the center of attention at Old Trafford.
Despite the substantial interest, it’s thought that De Jong would prefer to remain with the Catalan club. The agreement is also being delayed by Barcelona’s failure to pay the Dutchman’s deferred salaries, which total €17 million.
The transfer window appears to be extended by this transfer tale. Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, who is expected to be Xavi’s next acquisition, is said to have accepted to a contract of about €50 million, according to numerous reports.
On July 20, Barcelona will play its debut game in the United States against Inter Miami.
