With the countdown to the January transfer window on, Barcelona have wasted no time in getting their first business done.
The Catalan club have reportedly reached an agreement for the transfer of Manchester City winger Ferran Torres, with the official announcement due any time.
The Spanish giants are however set to concentrate more on the out-bound than the in-bound as they embark on a clear-out plan.
The club, under the guidance of Xavi Hernandez, are working on a rebuild, but first will have to let go of the deadwood.
Here are the Barcelona top-five likely to leave this January;
Philippe Coutinho
The Brazilian has never settled at the Catalan club since becoming the club’s record signing back in January 2018 from Liverpool.
He has since struggled for form and spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the Champions League.
But his form never improved after returning to Barcelona and an injury worsened the situation for the 29-year-old.
He is deemed surplus to requirements and could be allowed to leave with the likes of Everton and West Ham said to be interested.
Samuel Umtiti
Just like Coutinho, Umtiti has not been able to hold down a key role in the team partially due to recurrent injuries in recent seasons.
He has not been used in recent months and could be allowed to at the first opportunity as he is among the club’s high earners.
Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, and Clement Lenglet are all options for Xavi at centre-back.
Ousmane Dembele
There is still hope in the Frenchman’s camp that they could reach an agreement with the club over the extension of his contract.
The club will have a choice to make – allow him to leave in January for a fee, or lose him at the end of the season on a free.
Whatever happens though, it’s evident the winger has not had the best of times at the club, with recurrent injuries ruining his time at the Spanish giants.
Luuk de Jong
De Jong’s arrival at Barcelona, on loan from Sevilla, raised eyebrows. It was one of the strangest moves Ronald Koeman made, and it’s understood this could be undone in the coming month.
With Barcelona set to sign Torres, who could operate anywhere in the attack, De Jong’s time at the club could be limited and see him leave.
He never featured for Sevilla before moving to Barcelona, meaning he could be allowed to look for a different club altogether.
Sergiño Dest
Since Xavi took over the managerial job at the Camp Nou, the United States international has only played four minutes across all competitions.
It’s not clear whether or not he is in Xavi’s long-term plans, but the general understanding is he could be allowed to leave if there are good offers on the table.
The defender has attracted the attention of a number of European teams, including Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
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