Barcelona's big fire sale
The arrivals of Philippe Coutinho and Yerry Mina in the January transfer window have left Barcelona with a somewhat overstocked squad. In order to balance the books, several players are heading for the exit.
Ernesto Valverde has seen two of his top targets arrive in the space of a week, boosting the options for the current La Liga leaders in the second half of the season. However, an unsustainable wage bill means Barcelona are now open to offers for as many as eight players.
Javier Mascherano is the most likely to leave. Hebei China Fortune will pay a similar fee Barcelona did for Yerry Mina, so there will be no net gain. The club could make a substantial loss by selling Arda Turan to Istanbul Basaksehir. Having signed the Turk as a potential replacement for Andres Iniesta at a cost of £30million (plus £7m in add-ons) in 2015, Barcelona are desperate to let him go and could accept as little as £3.5million.
Turan is one of the top earners in Valverde's squad. currently on a net salary of £7million per season, while Andre Gomes earns roughly half. The Portuguese midfielder has fared a little better of late but he could leave the Camp Nou if the right price is offered to Barcelona.
Paco Alcacer was signed from Valencia along with Gomes and the striker is adamant he wants to stay in Catalonia. The arrival of Antoine Griezmann in the summer could make things even harder for the Spain international, who would see his already scarce options diminished. Aleix Vidal, Gerard Deulofeu, Jose Arnaiz and Denis Suarez are all wanted by Barca, but a reported £88million move for the Atletico striker could force them out in an effort to balance the books.