BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — If trying to compete with Real Madrid and newly arrived Kylian Mbappé wasn’t daunting enough, now Hansi Flick’s Barcelona squad is being thinned out by departures.
Barcelona looks set to lose both Ilkay Gundogan and Vitor Roque in the coming days — or even hours — with both players reportedly close to exits.
Gundogan appears set on returning to Manchester City a year after the midfielder left the serial winners to start a new chapter in Spain. That could be cut short because of Barcelona’s need to trim its salary burden, leaving the team without one of its top playmakers from last season.
Roque is also reportedly close to leaving on loan for Real Betis, although Portugal’s Sporting has apparently made inquiries. The young Brazilian forward cost Barcelona a 30-million-euro ($33-million) transfer last summer. He arrived in the winter transfer market but never earned consistent playing minutes despite the significant investment made to sign him.
When their exits are made official, it will confirm that the club’s efforts last summer to strengthen the squad turned out to be makeshift moves.
Last summer, Barcelona maintained the quality of a squad that lost veteran leaders Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba without spending much money. Gundogan and former Athletic Bilbao defender Íñigo Martínez arrived as free agents, Oriol Romeu’s move from Girona cost a reported 4 million euros, and João Félix and João Cancelo both arrived on loan deals from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, respectively.
But a year later only Martínez appears set to continue with the team that finished last season without a title and the departure of coach Xavi Hernández, who was pushed out after he publicly complained that the club’s lack of money would make it hard to compete with Madrid or the other top European clubs.
Barcelona has locked up the arrival of Spain midfielder Dani Olmo from Leipzig, but it has yet to meet the financial requirements of the Spanish league necessary to register him to play.
Flick is also without key players Gavi Páez and Ronaldo Araújo, who are recovering from leg injuries.
With players hurt or leaving, Flick has not hesitated in relying heavily on the products of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. He gave debuts to midfielders Gerard Martín and Marc Bernal at the always demanding outing at Valencia in their Spanish league opener, when Robert Lewandowski scored a brace for a 2-1 victory. In total Flick aligned three 17-year-olds in his starting 11 between Lamine Yamal, Bernal and Pau Cubarsí.
As Lewandowski said after the victory, “We can win games with these youngsters.”
Barcelona will face a good test on Saturday in the second round of league fixtures when it hosts Athletic Bilbao, including Nico Williams.
Williams and Barcelona teen Lamine Yamal helped lead Spain to the European Championship title this summer. Barcelona had been rumored to be interested in securing Williams’ transfer from Athletic, but right now that looks like wishful thinking given the Catalan club’s ongoing financial struggles.
Coached by former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, Athletic will be looking for its first victory at Barcelona since the 2001-2002 season. Since then it has gone 22 visits without a victory, with Barcelona winning 19 times.
Athletic, which won the Copa del Rey last campaign, will likely have to use its youth-team goalkeeper, Álex Padilla, after minor injuries to Spain ‘keeper Unai Simón and backup Julen Agirrezabala.
Madrid hosts Valladolid on Sunday after the defending champions were held 1-1 at Mallorca in their league opener. Atletico Madrid hosts Girona on the same day in a matchup of the respective fourth- and third-place finishers from last campaign.
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