According to popular report, Barcelona have informed several players that Ronald Koeman and his staff will not be counting on them for the 21/22 campaign. Among the roster of players that will potentially find their way out of the Camp Nou are high-wage earners Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic.
Pjanic has totally struggled to break through into Koeman’s plans, having found himself as the sixth midfielder in his pecking order. Unable to offer the balanced, dynamic profile that the Dutch manager so often seeks from his players, the Bosnian has essentially been ostracised from the squad.
Samuel Umtiti has also suffered an equally difficult fate under Koeman. Having been injured for the first half of the season, ‘Samu’ found it difficult to break past Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, and the dark horse in Barça’s defensive race, Oscar Mingueza.
In an effort to reduce Barça’s unmanageable wage bill, president Joan Laporta and co. are looking to ship such players out of the club. With tremendously high wages, it is likely that the club will prioritise Umtiti’s departure.
Additionally, it is looking nearly impossible for Pjanic to change Koeman’s mind, so his sale will likely be facilitated too. While he has a high level of skill, Pjanic does not possess the positional concepts or the high work rate required by a Blaugrana midfielder.
An additional report from MD outlines that the Bosnian is currently being looked at by his former club Juventus, as Massimiliano Allegri, who is returning to the club for his second stint, loves the prospect of having him.
Junior Firpo is another name included in the report. The Spanish-Dominican left-back has found it impossible to break through into the Dutchman’s plans. He will likely be either sold or used in a swap deal. Other names, such as Fransisco Trincao and Riqui Puig, will be kept on by the club, but only used in substitute roles.