Barcelona must pull off 'Operation Exit' to secure Torres deal
Martin Macdonald
- 23 Dec 2021 09:44 GMT
- 4 min read
This week it was reported that Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Manchester City forward Ferran Torres for a fee of around €65 million.
That deal, according to Mundo Deportivo, includes a payment of €55m up front plus another €10m in add-ons.
When the news broke of Torres' expected move to Camp Nou, there were a few eyebrows raised as to how exactly Barcelona were affording this transfer.
The club are, supposedly, in a terrible state financially and during the summer announced debt levels of €1.3 billion.
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They were ordered to drastically reduce their wage bill also, which is what ultimately led to the departure of legendary player Lionel Messi.
Mundo Deportivo reports that, in order for the Torres deal to be completed, Barcelona must pull off 'Operation Exit' which includes the sale of a number of first team stars to raise funds.
When asked about a potential Torres deal, Barca director Mateu Alemany replied on Tuesday: "first we have to do our homework: we have to comply with the 'fair-play' with exits to be able to sign"
Here are the five players the club is most actively looking to sell or get rid of in January.
Barcelona's five players to sell
Philippe Coutinho
It may be a bit of a running joke in European football that Philippe Countinho is indeed for sale, but that doesn’t change the fact that the club would probably be more than happy to cut their losses with the Brazilian midfielder.
However, Coutinho’s demise has been largely exaggerated by rivals fans and the player could certainly be of use to a number of clubs in England or Europe’s other top leagues.
It just depends on whether Barca will be able to get a decent price for the player.
Samuel Umtiti
Barcelona have undoubtedly been trying to sell Samuel Umititi for some time. After failing to ship the expensive defender in the summer, the club will surely now consider offers in January.
A cut-down transfer fee of just €12m should entice some clubs in Europe’s top leagues, as Umtiti and Barca try to find a suitable conclusion to this saga.
Yusuf Demir
Young winger Yusuf Demir was viewed as a signing for the future when Barcelona recruited him on loan with the option to buy from Rapid Vienna.
However, Barcelona's squad was so thin under Ronald Koeman at the start of the campaign that Demir was actually utilised a lot more than initially planned.
The rumour is that one more La Liga appearance for the player will trigger a permanent €10m deal which Barca can't afford or are unwilling to pay, which means he will likely return to Austria with his wages freed up.
Sergino Dest
Sergino Dest hasn't lived up to expectations since his move from Ajax to Barcelona, struggling to adapt to how football is played at Camp Nou.
A touch embarrassing for him is the fact that Barca have opted to bring back 38-year-old Dani Alves to provide competition for him at right-back, which perhaps displays Xavi's lack of faith.
He has been strongly linked with Bayern Munich, whom he initially turned down to sign for Barca.
Luuk de Jong
The panic acquisition of Luuk de Jong from Sevilla was never going to be a deal that worked out.
After successfully getting Antoine Griezmann off the wage bill, Barca needed another forward so Koeman asked for his compatriot to be brought in, with predictably poor results.
He has scored one goal in the league all season, and Barcelona would just be happy to get his wages off the books.
