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Barcelona : Is money going to lure Andrés Iniesta to China?

By Chiranjib Ghosh

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on February 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on February 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Andrés Iniesta has dropped a bombshell with recent comment

BARCELONA, SPAIN – MARCH 14: Andres Iniesta of Barca in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match Barca and Chelsea FC at Camp Nou on March 14, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – MARCH 14: Andres Iniesta of Barca in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match Barca and Chelsea FC at Camp Nou on March 14, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /

Andrés Iniesta is a club legend. After graduating from La Masia, the midfielder has been a constant, reassuring presence in the Barça first-team. He has done everything with the club, and achieved everything there is to achieve with club and country.

There isn’t an international competition that that playmaker has not won. Iniesta has done it all, and continues to be a spectacle in midfield, the crowning jewel of La Masia. But his latest remarks are very worrisome for the club and supporters.

"He said, “Before April 30 I have to make the decision whether I’m still in Barcelona or I’m going to China. I have to assess what is best for me and for the club.It will be the most honest for me and for the club.”"

Most top players remain with the club where they have reached great heights until they begin to decline and become a weight for the management to bear. Greats like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Xavi prove his pattern.

But Iniesta is still in his prime. His performances do not show that he is declining. The 33-year old is still one of the best midfielders in the world. Just a few months ago, he signed a contract that would give him an opportunity to leave at the end of each season.

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It was considered unlikely that he would utilise this option to leave the club the very season he signed the deal. But even Ernesto Valverde has admitted that this is a possibility.

"He said, “I don’t know [what he will do], it’s a very personal decision, he has to decide.He has his reasons and will decide what’s best for him. I’m not thinking of a Barcelona without  Andrés Iniesta because right now we have a Barcelona with Andrés Iniesta.”"

Valverde is right in saying that it is hard to imagine Barcelona without the balding, elegant phenomenon in the middle of the park, executing silky dribbles and threading through beautiful passes while always trying to find the killer ball.

Philippe Coutinho can take his place in the first-team, but Andrés Iniesta is irreplaceable. It will take Coutinho some time to adjust, but even when he does, he will not be able to fill the void that Iniesta’s departure will open up.

Next: Barcelona set to face Roma in Champions League quarterfinal

The club’s future prospects do not look good without the eternal captain.