Midfielder casts doubt on Barcelona summer exit – “I’m excited to stay here for many years”

Barcelona are opening to the idea of selling several players this summer, and one of those to move on could be Marc Casado. The La Masia graduate has struggled for playing time this season, with Hansi Flick having Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Marc Bernal and Eric Garcia ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.

Barcelona are keen to cash in on Casado now while his value is still relatively high, while the player himself is also reported to be willing to depart the Spotify Camp Nou in favour of a more prominent role elsewhere. However, he has appeared to publicly deny that he wants out, as during an interview with Sport, he expressed his desire to remain in Catalonia for many years to come.

“What I’m most excited about is having a very long career and staying for many years at Barça.”

How should Barcelona approach Casado case?

It’s clear that Barcelona need to raise funds this summer in order to be able to guarantee that signing the likes of Alessandro Bastoni and Julian Alvarez is possible. A return to La Liga’s 1:1 rule, which the club expects to happen before the transfer window opens in July, would not be enough in itself, which is why the likes of Casado and Roony Bardghji have emerged as exit options.

Given his squad status, it makes a lot of sense for Barcelona to prioritise selling Casado, who had a lot of suitors last summer when an exit was also considered. The likelihood is that clubs will come calling for him again, although one of them will not be Atletico Madrid, who recently ended their interest in the 22-year-old pivot.

It remains to be seen how the situation with Casado plays out, but at this stage, it does fell inevitable that he will leave – despite his desire to stay.