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Barcelona are a club that have drawn praise in the past for their fantastic financial planning. The Catalan giants' famed La Masia academy has often provided them with quality players who have served as the foundation of the club for several decades now. Whenever Barcelona entered the transfer market previously, it was only to fill spots in the squad that they could not fill via the academy.
However, Barcelona at present are a distant cry from the side that enjoyed their period of glory under Pep Guardiola in the early 2010s. The Blaugrana have splurged millions upon millions in the transfer market in recent years to sign the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele. None of these transfers have satisfied the fans. The club have not won the UEFA Champions League since 2015 and have only one Copa del Rey to show from their last two campaigns.
Former president Josep Maria Bartomeu has seemingly ruined the financial setting at the club, in addition to heralding the massive stagnation of La Masia. Barcelona now find themselves in enormous debt, with reports suggesting they owe up to $1.1 billion to various parties. Bartomeu has since resigned from his role, with former president Joan Laporta re-elected to bring the old Barcelona back to the fore. Laporta has a huge summer ahead of him with the Blaugrana needing to clear out plenty of deadwood ahead of the new season.
Barcelona have already confirmed deals for Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal. However, a massive exodus is needed for them to balance their account books.
Here are five players whom Barcelona should sell this summer to ease their financial burden:
#5 Philippe Coutinho
It just hasn't worked for Philippe Coutinho at Barcelona. The Brazilian joined the club from Liverpool for a reported £142 million in early 2018. Several reports have suggested Barcelona still owe the Reds some money from the transfer!
Coutinho endured a bright start to his career in Spain. The 29-year-old recorded nine goals and seven assists in 22 matches for the Catalan giants in the 2017-18 season since joining in January. However, the 2018-19 campaign saw Coutinho pushed into a left-wing role from where he was extremely ineffective. The Brazilian managed just 11 goals in 54 matches, though he did help the club win La Liga in 2018-19.
Coutinho was then sent on loan to Bayern Munich, where he won the treble and even scored twice against Barcelona in a 8-2 victory in the Champions League. He returned to Spain at the start of the 2020-21 campaign, but missed almost the entire season due to an injury.
The former Liverpool man is considered a serious liability to the club due to his astronomical wages. Coutinho is expected to be on his way out of the club this summer, with Barcelona willing to sell him for as little as £21 million.
#4 Samuel Umtiti
Samuel Umtiti arrived at Barcelona on a £20.69 million deal from Olympique Lyon back in 2016. The French centre-back was expected to revitalize an aging defense that had persisted for a long time with Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano.
Umtiti initially struggled under Luis Enrique, but grew into a colossal presence in Barcelona's backline. He won the Copa del Rey in his first season while also featuring in the Catalan giants' 'Remontada' against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Umtiti continued his dominance under Ernesto Valverde in the 2017-18 season, playing a starring role as Barcelona won the domestic double.
He then proceeded to form an incredible centre-back partnership with Real Madrid's Raphael Varane for France as they romped to victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, a persistent knee problem flared up, leading to a significant drop in performances post the World Cup. Umtiti received recommendations to undergo surgery, but chose to stick with conservative treatment instead.
The decision backfired as Umtiti struggled to get back to his dominant best. He has featured very sparingly for Barcelona, making just 49 appearances for the club since 2018. Umtiti has also lost his spot in the France squad and was omitted from national selection for Euro 2020.
As yet another high-earner on the Barcelona wage list, Umtiti's career with the Spanish giants looks set to end this summer. His injury record could mean the Catalans may not find many suitors, but at just 27, Umtiti could still attract some big European clubs.
#3 Miralem Pjanic
In a swap deal that somehow left both teams worse off, Miralem Pjanic joined Barcelona in the summer of 2020. The Bosnian midfielder was brought in after a successful stint at Juventus with Arthur Melo going the other way.
Pjanic struggled during the 2020-21 season and simply couldn't win Ronald Koeman's trust. He made just 13 starts for Barcelona in all competitions. Pjanic's arrival seemingly boosted Sergio Busquets's performance, with the veteran winding the clock back with some vintage displays. Resultantly, Koeman considered Busquets to be undroppable and Pjanic was sidelined to the bench.
Frenkie de Jong and Pedri occupied the other two midfield positions, which meant the Bosnian endured a horrible first season at the club. Pjanic, too, is on a massive salary and both the club and he are reportedly seeking an end to his Spanish nightmare this summer.
#2 Neto
Neto joined Barcelona in 2019 for a reported £23 million. The former Valencia keeper replaced Jasper Cillessen between the sticks as a backup for Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Since arriving at the Nou Camp two years ago, Neto has made just 17 official appearances for the Catalans. The Brazilian has failed to nail down a starting spot, often playing only in dead rubbers or due to injuries. With Ter Stegen potentially missing the start of the 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery, Neto could have started Barcelona's league season in goal.
However, the Catalans have already prepared to sell the 31-year-old with Arsenal among the clubs interested. Barcelona resident Joan Laporta reportedly wants the club to invest more in youth prospects. This could mean Inaki Pena and Arnau Tenas from the B team are likely to be promoted permanently to the first team. As a result, Neto is set to leave the Blaugrana this summer in a move that would make sense to both parties.
#1 Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann joined Barcelona from rivals Atletico Madrid amid much fanfare in the summer of 2019. The French forward was incredible for Diego Simeone's side before deciding to move to the Nou Camp for a reported £107 million.
While he hasn't been particularly awful for Barcelona, Griezmann has struggled to scale the heights he achieved at Atletico. The forward has scored 35 goals and provided 17 assists in 99 matches for Barcelona, winning a solitary Copa del Rey.
Griezmann's biggest problem upon joining was the lack of a cohesive side around him. The likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets were among the biggest names in an aging Barcelona side. The team was sluggish on the ball and struggled to break opponents down under Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien.
The arrival of Ronald Koeman and several young players improved Griezmann's output in the 2020-21 season. The Frenchman scored 20 goals and assisted a further 13 during the campaign, proving his technical ability and knack for scoring goals.
However, his situation in the current transfer window sums up Barcelona's sorry state of affairs on the financial end. Despite being one of the best players last season and on this list, Griezmann is the closest out of these five players to exiting the club. After signing him for an excess of £100 million, Barcelona are now looking to trade him back to Atletico for Saul Niguez plus cash in a bid to get Griezmann off their wage list.
Talks on the deal are reported to have progressed into the advanced stages and the transfer could be completed soon. It would signal a premature end to Griezmann's Barcelona career through little fault of his own.
