There are several players associated with FC Barcelona who can change clubs in the current winter market. Some of these players were formerly owned by the Catalans, who still have a share in any transfer fee paid for them, or are still owned by Barcelona but are currently away on loan.
Three former players stand out in particular from whom Barcelona were expecting to get some cash in case they moved clubs this winter. But as SPORT has reported, all of these operations look unlikely to succeed in January.
One of the former players who can bring a significant chunk of money to Barcelona with a transfer is Jean Claire Todibo. The Catalans have a share of 20% of any fee paid for the defender, who is currently a highly sought-after player in the Premier League.
Manchester United were previously reported to be close to acquiring his services, but latest reports indicate that Chelsea have now taken the lead to sign him. However, Nice are not too keen to lose their best defender in the middle of the season, and their reluctance can lead to a collapse of his transfer.
Similarly, as already reported here, Juan Miranda, on whom Barcelona have a 40% share, has already agreed to join AC Milan at the end of the season. However, the Italians wanted to bring him in winter because of injuries to their other defenders, but Real Betis’ asking price of €4 million has complicated the operation.
If a transfer does not take place in January, he can leave Real Betis as a free agent in the summer, and Barcelona would not get even a single penny for him in such a scenario.
Another Real Betis player on whom Barcelona have a 50% share of rights is Ez Abde. Aston Villa is interested in him, but the player has no intentions of leaving Spain and will be going to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco, thus further eroding the chances of a transfer this winter.
Lastly, Barcelona wanted Clement Lenglet to regain some value with a loan in England, but the player performed miserably in the three Premier League matches in which he was given a chance by Unai Emery.
The Spanish coach is also not willing to allow the defender to leave for another club in the middle of the season, and Lenglet may leave the English club only in the summer.
Thus, only one day into the January transfer window, all of these operations seem to be going in an unfavorable direction for Barcelona. However, things can change quickly in football, and it remains to be seen whether the status of any of these players changes in the rest of the month.
