Barcelona could be set for a huge revamp this summer.
As per Mirror, Ronald Koeman could be eyeing for some fresh new faces at the club following his side’s dismal display this season. The current problem that Barcelona are in, is a result of a series of bad decisions ever since the Catalan Giants decided to join Coutinho for a record fee.
The average age of the squad is at an all-time high and if brakes are not applied, Barcelona could well be the next AC Milan in the making. The 5 players who Koeman might be looking to offload this summer in a bid to free up some funds are Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique.
Suarez,33, is not the player he was a few years back. The striker has lost pace and even though he scored 21 goals this season, he could have done much better. In the game against the Bavarians, Suarez missed as many as three openings just because of the lack of pace in his legs and Koeman might not be too pleased about that.
Arturo Vidal arrived from the Allianz Arena a couple of years back and in all honesty, he was one of the very few players on the pitch in the game against Bayern who showed intensity and the desire to get behind the ball. Vidal is a versatile player and Koeman might be tempted to give him another chance before he makes his final decision on the 33-year-old. He has made only 96 appearances for the club so far, with 45 of them coming off the bench.
Ivan Rakitic was brought in to serve as the replacement of Xavi in 2014. The Croatian soon established himself as a vital cog in the Barcelona XI before falling out of favour with Quique Setien. The midfielder has hardly featured in this season and with him being 32 now, Koeman will look to get a young and an agile midfielder in place of him.
Sergio Busquets is popularly known as the one-club man for the fact that he has spent his entire career at Barcelona. He has made over 500 appearances for the Blaugranes and has a humble servant for the Blaugrana. Back in the day, Busquets formed a formidable midline with Xavi and Iniesta alongside him and is currently the vice-captain of the XI.
With him being 32 now, Koeman will look to bring in a young Central Defensive Midfielder (CDM).
Gerard Pique has spent the last 12 years of his career at the Blaugranes, since arriving from Manchester United back in 2008. Pique has proved to be an asset for the club in the time that he has spent with him leading the backline. Pique, however, is 34 now and admitted that things need to change at the club following the 8-2 thrashing. He offered to be the first one to walk out should the club make the decision to sack the ageing players to improve the pace and versatility of the squad.
These above-mentioned 5 players have been assets for Barcelona in the past but unfortunately, their time has come, and they will need to be replaced. Messi, 32, remains an integral part of the project that the Blaugranes are designing and sooner or later, he will need to be replaced as well.
Interesting times lie ahead for FC Barcelona fans.
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