This Saturday, FC Barcelona will travel to the USA for pre-season training. A quartet that is expected to leave the club will apparently not be there then.
Two weeks, four games: FC Barcelona will spend a large part of their preparation over the pond. Four players will be spared the strain, whether they like it or not. According to information from “Marca”, coach Xavi will be without Samuel Umtiti, Oscar Mingueza, Riqui Puig and Martin Braithwaite.
The quartet are expected to leave the club, but that is proving difficult. Umtiti has been linked with Stade Rennes, Mingueza with Monza. Barcelona have recently loaned out Clement Lenglet, who has joined Tottenham Hotspur. Riqui Puig is considered one of Barça’s crowd favourites, but the 22-year-old is apparently no longer expected to make the breakthrough. Last season he made 15 appearances, 13 of which were substitute appearances.
Braithwaite wants to go to the World Cup – Pjanic also without a chance
And Braithwaite? The Dane is under particular pressure with the World Cup in Qatar just around the corner. Without appearances, he will not receive a ticket, so the attacker must quickly find a new club. Miralem Pjanic is also considered to have no chance under Xavi. According to AS, it is still unclear whether he will travel with the team to the USA.
It remains to be seen what will happen with the candidates for sale, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay. De Jong was reportedly told by Barcelona on Monday that they would not keep him. A Manchester United delegation made representations in Catalonia yesterday.
Depay is also apparently on the market, although the attacker has repeatedly stressed that he wants to stay at Barcelona. The next few days will show whether the two will go on the USA tour with him.