5 players most likely to leave Barcelona this winter of 2020-21

Barca halve Umtiti asking price for Arsenal and United
Barca halve Umtiti asking price for Arsenal and United

With the recent signing of Ferran Torres and the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa, Barcelona have made their intention clear to revamp their squad this year. President Joan Laporta has clearly stated that fans can expect huge changes in the personnel this transfer window, with big names like Erling Haaland and Matthijs de Ligt linked to the club. However, in order for the Catalan giants to sanction a flurry of important signings, they will need to offload multiple high-earning players from the squad. On that note, let’s take a look at 5 players who are most likely to leave Barcelona this winter.

5. Clement Lenglet

Barcelona announced the signing of Clement Lenglet from Sevilla for €35.90 million in 2018 to replace a certain centre-back suffering from a long-term injury. While fans did have their speculations about the Frenchman’s capability to partner Gerard Pique at the back, his sure-footedness and technique with the ball in his initial days at Camp Nou put everyone’s mind on ease. However, Lenglet’s career has hit a roadblock in recent years, with the 26-year-old defender producing more and more errors. As a result, the former first-choice centre-back has now been restricted to the bench, making only 14 appearances this term. With Xavi preferring Ronald Araujo, Oscar Mingueza and newbie Eric Garcia over Lenglet and Barcelona in dire need of some more defensive recruitments, Lenglet is definitely one of the most dispensable players in Catalonia.

4. Yusuf Demir

A surprise entry on fifth place, Yusuf Demir has shown a lot of potential on the field and has the entirety of his professional career ahead of him, unlike others on the list. However, Barcelona’s current squad is stacked with unproven youngsters with considerable potential. In such a scenario, the Blaugrana desperately need some established attackers who can guarantee goals upfront. Barcelona have initiated the purchase of versatile forward Ferran Torres and are hoping to line up more such signings like Erling Haaland to further this cause. Nevertheless, there has to be some necessary offloading to achieve this, and unfortunately for Demir, his inexperience and raw talent make him a favourite for the exit door.

3. Neto

Neto Murara has played backup to Marc-Andre ter Stegen for almost three years now. In this duration, the Brazilian has rarely shown enough reliability, needed to be the number one at Camp Nou. In the absence of adept competition between the sticks, the German shot-stopper’s form has slumped greatly in recent times. While ter Stegen thrived with Jasper Cillessen as his deputy, he has shown signs of slowing down following Neto’s arrival. Therefore, for the greater good, Barcelona must get rid of the 32-year-old goalie to salvage ter Stegen’s career and acquire a decent backup for the German.

2. Luuk de Jong 

As soon as it was announced that Barcelona had signed Luuk de Jong from Sevilla on a temporary deal, fans got flashbacks of the “Martin Braithwaite signing”. Everyone’s initial scepticism has proven to be somewhat justified as the Dutch forward only has two goals for his new club so far. Furthermore, de Jong has missed many sitters this season, contributing heavily to Barcelona’s woes upfront. With Joan Laporta’s recent statements announcing the club’s return to the top, de Jong’s departure is all but imminent.

1. Samuel Umtiti 

Another victim of a wretched fitness record, Samuel Umtiti, has witnessed his career go down in flames in the span of a few seasons. Once an essential cog in France’s World Cup-winning squad of 2018, Umtiti now finds himself restricted to Barcelona’s bench despite the club’s mediocre quality at the back. To make matters worse, the French defender earns a fortune at Camp Nou, procuring an annual salary of close to €12 million with minimal on-field appearances. Understandably, he is one of the favourites to be ousted from the club this winter.