Barcelona hoping to cash in on Rey Manaj
Barcelona has played and won both of their preseason games with a number of players from the ‘B’ team putting in standout performances.
Perhaps none more so than the 24-year-old striker Rey Manaj. While not exactly young anymore — at least by football standards — he scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Nastic and netted another in the 3-1 win against Girona.
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The Barcelona B striker has scored four goals in the last two games
No one has been more thrilled with his display than Barcelona who now believe they can net a decent transfer fee for the player.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan side are currently negotiating with three other clubs for Manaj. They include Sassuolo, Cádiz and Famalicao. All three are willing to pay a transfer fee for the striker. However, the fee is not expected to be very high. Should he be sold, Barca expect to get somewhere between €3-€5 million.
Where he ends up will ultimately be decided by Manaj himself. Given his age, another season with Barça B might be off the table if he has a chance to catch on with a team playing in the first division.
Staying with Barcelona’s senior team looks like an improbability when looking at the number of players who would be ahead of him on the depth chart.
With that being said, that scenario is not being ruled out as apparently Ronald Koeman has also been impressed with his performances over the last two games.
He was forced to come off in the Girona match with an injury. Fortunately for Manaj and the club, he was taken out as a precaution and could be available in time for the next pre-season friendly.
The decision may be out of the Dutchman’s hand, however, if president Joan Laporta and his board deem Manaj surplus to requirements. He’s unlikely to feature much despite Koeman’s praise and the team needs to raise funds at the moment.
All of those factors spell out that an exit is more likely than Manaj staying and fighting for a spot on the senior team.