Barcelona ‘looking to offload FOUR first-team stars in summer transfer window including Griezmann and Coutinho’
BARCELONA are reportedly looking to offload FOUR first-team flops including Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho. El Confidencial claims the Catalans have a ‘short-term debt’ of £630million. And they desperately need to offload some big earners if they want to bring in any new faces this summer. The first player on Ronald Koeman’s hit list is […]
BARCELONA are reportedly looking to offload FOUR first-team flops including Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho.
El Confidencial claims the Catalans have a ‘short-term debt’ of £630million.
And they desperately need to offload some big earners if they want to bring in any new faces this summer.
The first player on Ronald Koeman’s hit list is World Cup winner Griezmann, 30.
He has managed just 29 goals in 88 games after a £103million move from rivals Atletico Madrid two years ago.
Griezmann is also Barca’s second-top earner after Lionel Messi, reportedly pocketing a staggering £600,000 each week.
And Nou Camp chiefs are currently ‘testing’ the market for potential buyers.
Meanwhile, ex-Liverpool man Coutinho has done little to pay back the £142m spent on him in January 2018.
The 28-year-old Brazilian, said to be on £250k-a-week wages, has 24 goals in 90 appearances and even spent a year on loan at Bayern Munich after failing to settle.
But it remains to be seen if there are any takers for the declining Coutinho, once considered to be the Premier League’s top midfield playmaker.
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In defence, Samuel Umtiti is no longer needed after some lengthy injury spells.
The centre-back, 27, looks set to be replaced by incoming free agent Eric Garcia from Manchester City.
But Umtiti, who played with Griezmann in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph, is still regarded as a top defender and may not find it hard to land a new club.
The fourth and final player facing the chop is young Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao.
The ex-Braga man, 21, is still in his first season at the Nou Camp after a £27m switch.
But Trincao has failed to convince Barcelona he has the quality to succeed, scoring just three times in 36 outings.
And it is believed Wolves are ready to snap him up, with Trincao represented by Molineux favourite Jorge Mendes.
The report adds that other players at Barcelona are not yet safe from Koeman’s axe as he looks to secure free transfers for Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum and Lyon’s Memphis Depay, with doubts over the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Miralem Pjanic.
But there are four stars currently said to be ‘untouchable’.
The first is unsurprisingly Messi, who could yet leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The other three are teenagers Ansu Fati, Pedri and Ilaix Moriba, who are all tipped for big things in Catalonia.
And all four ‘untouchables’ are sure to play a big role in the final stages of Barcelona’s season, with the club just four points off LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid with ten games to go.