Having had their viability plan approved by LaLiga earlier this week, Barcelona can now officially begin their transfer business for this summer, although they will need to sell players before being able to register new signings.
Barcelona are likely to need to make significant sales over the next couple of years, and they plan to kick-start that this summer. According to Sport, three players that “must be sold” are Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Franck Kessie.
Furthermore, Barcelona want to finalise two of these sales this month, so that they can begin to register new signings from the 1st of July, with Inigo Martinez and Ilkay Gundogan being two that they hope to have registered as soon as possible.
All three players have underperformed at times this season, although in each case, there are arguments to suggest that it could be harsh to let them go.
Ansu Fati
Of the three mentioned, Ansu Fati is likely to gather the largest fee, although he is also the one that should be staying at Barcelona the most. Granted, his form has been underwhelming since returning from injury, but he hasn’t been bad.
During the 2022/23 season, Fati was Barcelona’s joint-second top scorer in LaLiga, amassing seven goals in 36 appearances, while also chipping in with three assists. However, given that he only started 12 of those matches, this return rate is actually pretty good, and at just 20 years old, he will only get better.
Ferran Torres
Since making the move from Manchester City in January 2022, it’s safe to say that it hasn’t worked out for Ferran Torres at Barcelona so far. He struggled to break into the team last season, having been behind Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha in the pecking order.
Although he has shown flashes at times, and he will no doubt become a better player as time goes on, Barcelona may not be able to be afforded that, due to their financial situation. Must like Fati, he has lots of potential, but given that his position (right wing) has more competition than Fati’s (left wing), it would make sense to sell Torres.
Franck Kessie
It would be very harsh on Franck Kessie if he were to be sold this summer. Having only joined from AC Milan last July, he had an okay 2022/23 season, and he gradually got better as time went on.
However, amid rumours over the possible arrivals of Ilkay Gundogan and Ruben Neves, it would make sense to move Kessie on, as he would likely to be a fringe player next season. If Barcelona can get a good fee, it would be good business for a player that they signed for nothing last summer.