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Following their disappointing end to last season, Barcelona would be looking to rebuild from that and preparations have begun in earnest for the task ahead.
The immediate target for next season would be to retain their league title, while the prized cherry would undoubtedly be the Champions League which has not been at the Nou Camp since the club’s treble triumph in 2015.
In light of this, player recruitment was penciled down as a priority and so far, the Blaugrana have made a couple of additions to their squad, with Antoine Griezmann being the marquee arrival, while Frenkie de Jong, and Neto would also be donning the Barcelona colors for the first time.
Despite this, the Blaugrana are still being linked with a number of other players and having seen their pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt end with the Dutch international signing for Juventus, their attention would turn to other players with Neymar’s name top of the wishlist, while a backup to Jordi Alba at left-back is also a priority.
However, to not fall foul of FFP rules and create space for any potential new additions, Barcelona would, as a matter of priority, need to sell off some players.
In this piece, we shall be having a rundown of four players that Barcelona need to get rid of as soon as possible.
#4 Malcom
Malcom made a name for himself as one of the most sought-after youngsters in Europe following his displays with Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1 and had several top European clubs battling it out for his signature.
As it happened, this was a battle that went on till the very last second, as despite already agreeing terms with Roma and seemingly on his way to finalizing his move, Barcelona entered the fray, hijacking the move and leaving Roma hanging with their tails between their legs.
In three seasons at Bordeaux, Malcom made 84 league appearances, missing just three league games in his last two seasons in France combined.
At Barcelona, that number dropped significantly to 15 out of 38 fixtures, with most of those appearances coming off the bench as Malcom failed to make any sort of impact in Barcelona in his debut season.
This is not in any way a slight on his abilities, as the 22-year-old is an extremely gifted footballer and showed signs of his capabilities on occasion last season. However, he was very much a victim of circumstance, as the presence of superior players within the ranks of Barcelona meant Malcom always had his work cut out from the onset.
Following Griezmann’s arrival, Malcom has been pushed even further down the pecking order in attack and with Neymar’s transfer being worked out; the former Corinthians man is all but certain to not have a future at Camp Nou.
He has seemingly recognized as much, as new reports have emanated that he wants to leave the club and with some Sere A clubs including Inter, Milan and Napoli all said to be interested, the coast seems set for Malcom to ply his trade in Italy a year after spurning the opportunity.
#3 Ivan Rakitic
Ivan Rakitic has been a loyal and dedicated servant to Barcelona ever since he completed his transfer from Sevilla in the summer of 2014.
He has played a massive role in all the successes enjoyed by Barcelona in his five years at the club, making 268 appearances in all competitions and winning 13 major trophies.
The Croat has been an ever-present in midfield throughout his time at the club and his importance reached new highs under Ernesto Valverde’s management, as the 53-year-old’s pragmatic methods place more emphasis on hardworking and energetic midfielders, of which Rakitic is an ideal fit.
Having established that Rakitic is an important member of the Barcelona team, it makes no sense to suggest that he should be moved on, but a deeper inquisition into his Barcelona scenario reveals that Rakitic’s position is not as guaranteed as it looks on first glance.
For starters, the fact that the club is willing to use him as a makeweight to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou lays credence to this and there are several factors why this is so.
The arrival of Frenkie de Jong in midfield further congests an already stocked department and with the Dutch international and Sergio Busquets almost certain to be starters, the last spot in midfield would be intensely contested for by at least four men.
Carles Alena would likely continue with his developmental role with cameos off the bench, while Arthur offers technique, close control, and retention of possession, which are all qualities that Rakitic is not especially blessed with.
The former Sevilla man is not particularly noted for his work in the final third, with his value rather coming due to his industriousness and hardworking ethos, but it is pertinent to note that veteran warhorse Arturo Vidal also offers these traits on an even higher level.
Moreover, at 31, Rakitic is rapidly approaching the nadir of his career and with it unlikely that he would sign an extension to his current deal which expires in 2021, this represents the last opportunity for Barcelona to get considerable value from the sale of Rakitic and it is one they should not let slip them by.
#2 Rafinha
Rafinha comes from a rich sporting lineage, as his father is the legendary Mazinha who helped Brazil to the 1994 World Cup, while his mother played Volleyball professionally and his brother is the criminally underrated Thiago Alcantara.
However, for all of his sporting genetics, it has not quite worked out thus far for Rafinha, as he is yet to reach the heights expected of him.
Having begun his footballing carer in the famed La Masia, Rafinha made his senior debut for Barcelona in 2011 and the intervening eight years has been nothing more than an afterthought in the squad, essentially a squad member making up the numbers for the regulars.
To put this in perspective, in eight years at Barcelona, the Brazilian international has made just 87 appearances in all competitions and this is some way less than 92 appearances the otherwise injury troubles Samuel Umtiti has managed in just three seasons.
Rafinha underwent two different loan spells in 2014 and 2017 to Celta Vigo and Inter Milan respectively, but that did nothing to boost his standing in Catalunya.
Injuries have played a massive role in his Barcelona misfortune, as the 26-year-old has suffered no less than nine injuries throughout his time at Camp Nou, with the latest coming last November when he tore his left ACL muscle to put him in the treating room till date.
The arrivals of Arthur and Frenkie de Jong, as well as the promotion of Carles Alena, have limited Rafinha’s previously slim chances of playing and it would be in his best interest to leave the club with Valencia said to be interested.
#1 Philippe Coutinho
With just a little over a month left to go in the summer transfer window, Barcelona are at a bit of a crossroads with Philippe Coutinho; do they count their losses and sell him off or give him some more time to prove himself?
The Brazilian international arrived in January 2018 amidst much fanfare as the heir to Andres Iniesta, but a year–and–half on from his arrival, those cheers have given way to boos as Coutinho has struggled to match the lofty expectations of him.
To his credit, the former Liverpool man remains one of the best players in his position and showed proof of this with his displays at the Copa America and while this might have been enough in any other era to suggest that he should be given more time, the reality on ground is that this viewpoint does not hold water.
In this modern age of increased financial investments and demands for quick returns, the bottom line is that the need for winning and desire for results far outweigh any altruistic or emotional intentions.
This is the reason why hitherto patient clubs like Manchester United have towed the line of rapid hiring and firing while traditionally prudent sides like Juventus and Atletico Madrid have become big spenders overnight in a bid to not get left behind.
Coutinho has had 18 months and 75 matches to prove himself which he failed to do and while this might not seem like a lot of time, it should be remembered that this was more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Andre Gomes got or even Malcom for that matter.
There are only three ways the Coutinho scenario could play out; firstly he could be sold off this summer for a slight loss on what was paid for him and everybody goes back to business, secondly, he could be given a second chance to prove his worth and he does so, cementing his legacy as a Barcelona player or he could spurn said chance and bring us back full circle next season to where we are, with the added disadvantage of having a reduced value.
Of the three scenarios, only one plays to Barcelona’s advantage and with this in mind, it would e in the interest of both Barcelona and Coutinho for the Rio de Janeiro native to end his Barcelona nightmare.
