Barcelona ‘untouchables’ see quartet put up for sale with Hansi Flick to sacrifice elite star

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has reportedly singled out four players who can leave the club on loan or permanently in the January transfer window.

Amid their much-publicised financial problems, Barcelona have promoted the youth to save on funds and it has worked wonders. They have unearthed players such as Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Pedri, and more, and now they are flying high this season.

While that has been great for the Blaugrana’s academy products, some other players may be pushed out of the club.

Reports in Spain suggest manager Flick is ‘not satisfied’ with the contributions of several players and has asked club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco to ‘find a buyer’.

According to El Nacional, forward Ansu Fati, 22, is at the top of the list to offload due to his underwhelming displays, time on the sidelines, and considerable salary.

The report adds that Barca are trying to send right-back Hector Fort, 18, out on loan in January but they are prepared to listen to offers for striker Ferran Torres, 24, and centre-back Ronald Araujo, 25.

Doubts reportedly remain about Torres‘ qualities, despite scoring several goals in recent weeks, and the centre-back duo of Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez seem to be ‘untouchable’ for Flick. That may spell doom for Araujo – who was reportedly valued at up to €100m (€82.6m, $104.8m) earlier this year.

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Surprising and unsurprising developments

While the possible exits of Fati, who had a mixed loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion last season, and Fort, who is firmly behind Jules Kounde in the right-back pecking order, make sense; not many would have predicted these developments over Araujo and Torres.

The former has been out for most of the season with a hamstring injury and has only been able to return to Barca’s matchday squads in the past week. If he can recapture his past form, he could be a real asset for the La Liga giants.

While he was an unused substitute against Borussia Dortmund and Leganes, the 25-year-old would still seem to be an option worth keeping but the fact that he is an academy product, who would sell for pure profit as he is a youth product, may be in the Catalan outfit’s thinking.

However, the report adds his contract expires in 2026 and there has been no progress on an extension. Therefore, they may want to try and maximise the fee they can get for him in 2025.

With Torres, it would seem he would be the heir apparent to Robert Lewandowski, 36, but while the Pole is still proving to be as prolific as ever, the Spaniard may not get much of a look-in. Barca are likely to ask for hefty fees for the latter two if sold in 2025.

Barcelona transfer roundup: Arsenal battle, Kvaratskhelia latest

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume but Barcelona are battling to snare the 22-year-old, who has been likened to Paul Pogba.

Sevilla will want to make a profit after signing Agoume for €4m (£3.3m, $4.2m), though they are unlikely to demand a huge fee when selling him.

Napoli are reportedly planning to demand ‘big’ money from Manchester City for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is said to be keen on a move to Barcelona.

Although City will have more funds than Barca, reports suggest the Georgian winger wants to join Flick’s side and he would be seen as a perfect fit for them.

Finally, Barcelona are reportedly considering offloading centre-back/defensive midfielder Eric Garcia as they have a lot of options in that area of the pitch.

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