While there is currently a lot of uncertainty surrounding FC Barcelona, there are still some things that one can predict with a high amount of confidence. For instance, Xavi Hernandez has already announced that he will be leaving Barcelona at the end of the season, and his departure is almost confirmed.
Along with him, Sergi Roberto is also highly likely to leave the club, as his current contract ends at the conclusion of this season, and the Catalan club is unlikely to offer him a renewal.
Another player who has not been of particular utility to Barcelona this season, and whose contract also ends this summer is Marcos Alonso.
The Spaniard was kept in the squad to be a replacement for Alejandro Balde, however, he is currently out with an injury since the start of the year and has not made an appearance for Xavi since Barcelona’s defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk.
If Alonso does not continue at Barcelona, the club would like to sign a replacement for him, and Mundo Deportivo reports that there are two players being considered by Barcelona for this purpose.
As Deco himself admitted, Xavi’s decision to leave has surprised the club, as, before this announcement, the club was working with him to plan for the future. One of the players that the Catalans were considering before Xavi’s announcement was Alex Valle, who is currently out on loan at Levante.
The 19-year-old is being closely monitored by Bojan Krkic, and will be a very good option for Barcelona as he will not require any kind of investment. Furthermore, he has already trained under Xavi, and was a part of the USA tour during the last pre-season.
The second option being considered by Barcelona is Sergio Cardona, the 24-year-old Las Palmas fullback who is shining under the former Barcelona Atletic coach, Garcia Pimienta.
His contract will end this summer, and the Catalans have already started studying the options to incorporate him into the squad.
Thus, if Barcelona decide to get one of these two players, the club will not have to pay to get them, and both also are young enough to conform with the Blaugrana club’s next project which is more focused on youth.