When Francisco Trincao signed for Barcelona for €30m in January of 2020, many praised the Blaugrana’s forethought for securing one of the hottest talents in Portugal from Braga. Yet two years down the line, it’s looking increasingly like another piece of questionable business carried out by former President Josep Maria Bartomeu.
With none other than Lionel Messi for competition in his favoured right-wing position, Trincao struggled for game time in his singular season at Camp Nou under Ronald Koeman. Thereafter he was loaned out to Wolves in the Premier League, but has struggled to make much of an impression there too.
After playing a large part in the early stages of the season, Trincao has been reduced to a substitute role for the majority of the latter part. Over the course of the campaign he has featured in less than half of the minutes he was available for and according to Mundo Deportivo, it’s unlikely Wolves will use their €30m buy option on him.
The Catalan daily also noticed a story from Portuguese paper A Bola though, which linked him with a return to his homeland. Supposedly Sporting CP are interested in taking Trincao on loan next season, in light of the probable loss of Pablo Sarabia.
Although Barcelona will likely look for an exit, there’s no doubt they would much rather raise some cash from a sale than save on his salary, as Mateu Alemany tries to rebuild Xavi Hernandez’s squad.
Image via Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
