Earlier this week it was reported that Barca management would consider selling winger Abde if they received an offer of between €20-€25 million. But after impressing in training, Barcelona manager Xavi has asked the management team of Deco and Mateu Alemany to keep the Moroccan winger.
This is according to a report in Mundo Deportivo this morning. Although, it does specify that if Abde is to continue, some players will need to leave, referencing Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Raphinha.
Fati and Raphinha are unlikely to be moved, but Ferran Torres is almost certainly on the market. Unfortunately, as of today, Barca has not received a suitable offer for the young Spanish forward. We’ve spoken about how Torres can revitalise his career here at Everything Barca.
Xavi is planning to have Abde available at Barcelona this season
Abde will get plenty of opportunities to impress this pre-season, and while Xavi understands the financial situation at Barca with the club needing to sell at least one of their assets, Xavi is planning to have Abde available, seeing him as a difference maker.
This is why it’s so important for Barca to move someone like Ferran Torres, if they can’t find a suitor then they will almost certainly have to entertain the idea of selling Abde, against the wishes of their manager.
The Morrocan winger enjoyed a successful loan spell at Osasuna last season, scoring 6 goals in 26 appearances, helping Los Rojillos qualify for the Europa Conference League Qualifiers by finishing 7th in La Liga. They also reached the Copa de Rey final where they narrowly lost 2-1 to Real Madrid.
He then helped the Morrocan team win the U23 AFCON, a tournament where he was named the most valuable player.
He’ll get his first chance to stake a claim to a first-team place when Barcelona meet Juventus in Santa Barbara tomorrow night in the first pre-season game of the US tour.