Much has been made over the future of Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto this season, two Barcelona captains whose contracts at Camp Nou are set to expire at the end of the season.
But as we approach the second half of the campaign, it appears Barcelona are making provisions to sanction the sale of another Barcelona captain in the form of Jordi Alba, reports Depredict.
It seems the Catalan entity are not fully convinced with Alba’s role in the team. Although the Spaniard is valued highly because of his experience and the tactical flexibility he offers to the table, the player has endured a visible decline in recent years.
This has led to Alba enjoying a second-fiddle role in the team this season, with the fullback falling behind Alejandro Balde in the pecking order.
Alba has indeed early only nine starts in the league this term. Although Xavi has recently found a tactical balance between the veteran and the young Balde, it seems the club had higher expectations from the Spaniard.
Barcelona’s high hopes for Alba can be linked to the fact that the player is one of the highest earners in the squad. His overall salary arrears is around €20 million, which is quite a fortune for Barça under the current economic structure.
In fact, only Sergio Busquets’ salary arrears are higher than Alba’s in the Barcelona squad. But while the veteran midfielder has continued to play a key role in the first-team plans, Alba has merely become an alternative for Balde.
His departure, therefore, could go a long way in helping Barcelona achieve the target of reducing ̇€200 million from the salary budget, ahead of the coming summer.
