While the rest of the FC Barcelona team is on its preseason tour of the USA, two players who have not traveled with the team are Nico and Collado. Both of these players are looking to resolve their futures, and will be looking to join another club before the start of the next season.
Nico has been reported to be close to a transfer to Porto, but the Catalans are yet to reach an agreement with the Portuguese club, as some of the figures for the buyback option are yet to be ironed out. Similarly, Betis is also close to getting Collado but have to register the player in order to validate the percentage that Barcelona will have in case of a future sale.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Porto head coach, Sergio Conceicao, has asked his club to conclude the signing of Nico as soon as possible. Furthermore, the coach is also looking to sign Alan Varela for Boca Juniors. The only remaining barrier to the conclusion of the operation is the figure that Barcelona will have to pay in case of a buyback, and the club is looking to reach an agreement regarding this soon.
Other details of the agreement between the clubs have already been finalized. Porto would pay €8-10 million for the midfielder, but there are some reports claiming that this figure can rise up to €15 million. The purchase option would have Barcelona pay double that amount in the first season, which will increase further in the ensuing years.
Alex Collado is going through a similar scenario, as his move to join Real Betis is almost agreed upon. However, Betis have yet to make space in their wage structure to register him while remaining within the FFP constraints, and the Los Verdiblancos are trying to make some sales. Barcelona will have a percentage of proceeds from his future sale.
Thus, Barcelona are near offloading two of their players but would still have significantly more work to do in the summer market, as several other players also have to be sold. How well the club does in this regard will determine whether they can further strengthen their squad this summer.
