Barcelona hand Lionel Messi the biggest blow ahead of next season
Ronald Koeman has a challenge of rebuilding a depleted Barcelona side.
As per Mirror, Barcelona are planning to offload Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic in the coming days as they plan to inject some fresh blood into the XI. Both the players are well above 30 years of age and have considerably slowed down. Now, they are being shown the door.
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There is a sense of panic at Camp Nou now. The heads in the meeting room have got several key decisions to make in the coming days which would decide the future of the club in the coming years. The Blaugrana are technically a sinking ship now and could well end up being the next AC Milan if the current downward spiral continues. The motivation and the morale of the club is at an all-time low and with Messi being closer than ever to a club exit, these are indeed very testing times for the Catalan giants.
Ivan Rakitic has been an integral part of Barcelona since 2014 and has played a key role in the midfield. He was brought in as a replacement for Xavi and has delivered more than what was expected off him. The Croatian, however, did not fit into either or Valverde or Setien’s plans and consequently, was pushed down the pecking order. With him hardly featuring in this season, he is now being linked with a move back to his former club, Sevilla. Barcelona will be more than willing to be a part of that deal as they require funds to buy some young legs.
Luis Suarez is another key figure at the Camp Nou who has led the attack of the Blaugranes and has supported Messi well. He was an integral part of the XI that won the treble in 2015 and was one of the main heads in the infamous MSN attacking trio. Suarez has attracted interest from many clubs and one of them is his former club, Ajax. The 32-year-old, however, is also linked with a move back to the Premier League with Manchester United said to have keeping a close eye on him. Suarez wasn’t a part of the list of “untouchables” released by Bartomeu in the past week.
Next. Messi demands a big change from Barcelona. dark
The current Barcelona president has been heavily criticised for the team’s run in the past 3 years. He has been criticised by both Messi and Suarez. The Argentine Ace is not a big fan of the current president and he wants him to step down. He has made several transfer market blunders which is costing the team now.
The days ahead are going to be crucial for the Spanish outfit as they look to prepare for the upcoming season and hopefully, put up a better show.