Players that must leave Barcelona at the end of this season

This has been a tough season for Barcelona, and changes are expected at the end of the term after Xavi Hernandez announced that he was leaving the club.

The former midfielder has watched his team struggle to defend the league title they won last season and gave in when the pressure was too much.

Barca has tried its best to stay in good shape despite having serious financial issues that could down any other club.

The Catalans have banked on their good name to sign some talented professionals for free because these individuals just want to play for that shirt.

This made their lack of financial prowess less of a problem, so they have kept a small but competitive group so far.

Last season, they banked on a new manager bounce and won the La Liga title, with most of us expecting them to defend the title because they had done a fine job on the transfer market in the summer.

However, Barca might not even finish the season in second position on the league table because Real Madrid is in outstanding form, and Girona is refusing to give up on a top-four place.

It is easy to put the manager under pressure when the team performs poorly, and Xavi is leaving because he cannot cope with the demands of the fans.

However, even if a new manager comes into the club, he will struggle to find success if he does not get rid of some of their current players.

Barca’s squad undeniably still has some quality names in their ranks, but there are some players who have to leave because they have not met expectations or to help the Catalans raise funds to improve their squad.

Barcelona fans will purchase their tickets to games for the rest of the season no matter how the team performs, but they expect a more competitive squad from next term.

Because of the club’s financial situation, several of their current players will remain in the group by next term, but some have to leave, and we cover a list of stars who should exit Camp Nou.

Marcos Alonso

Alonso joined Barcelona from Chelsea as a free agent in 2022 as Xavi lured him from London to one of Spain’s biggest clubs.

He had enjoyed a good career with the Blues, including winning the Champions League in 2021, but not many Barca fans expected so much from him.

He was already 30 and was coming to the club at an age where his experience was the main reason they signed him.

However, Alonso was handed a new deal at the start of 2023 until the end of this season, with an option for a further year.

The move was not a surprise because Barca does not have the money to replace him with a younger and likely better player.

However, the Spaniard has not shown enough quality to earn him another season at Camp Nou.

Although he is an experienced member of that dressing room, the Catalans need a much more effective player in that role and must invest in one to catch Real Madrid.

Sergi Roberto

Almost every season Sergi Roberto has to sign a new one-year extension to his Barcelona contract when he is expected to leave the club.

The 32-year-old is quite an effective player who does well whenever he plays and has three goals from just six league games in this campaign.

Xavi already does not rely on him too much but has kept him in the group because of his experience and being a career-long Barcelona man.

Roberto’s presence in that dressing room is important, considering he has won two Champions League, seven league titles, six Spanish Cups, and several other trophies at the club.

However, a new manager will not need Roberto, and the Catalans have to move on and stop their reliance on players that they should ideally offload.

A new generation has to be born at Camp Nou, and the older players need to leave to make room for the new heroes.

Frenkie de Jong

De Jong is a surprise name on this list and has not been added here because he no longer serves the club how he should.

The Dutchman remains a key cog in the wheel for the Catalans and has surprisingly been loyal to them since he moved there from Ajax.

Every summer, De Jong is linked with a move away from Barca, most notably to Manchester United, but he never asks the club to let him leave.

He always insisted he is here to stay, and Barca has enjoyed his talents over the last few seasons.

De Jong is one of the most reliable players at the club, but Barcelona needs to end having to constantly deal with questions over his future.

He does not seem like a player they deserve, and because they need funds to improve other parts of their squad, now is a good time for them to offload the former Ajax star.

Money made from his departure will fund moves for other players that will further strengthen their group.

Raphinha

Raphinha moved to Barca despite interest from other top clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea, but his spell at Catalonia has not been as fantastic as we would have liked.

The Brazilian is a fine winger, but he is not as fantastic as Barca fans would want their wideman to be.

For a club that has had the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, Raphinha is struggling to meet expectations, and there is little difference between him and Ferran Torres.

Keeping both averagely good wingers in the group makes almost no sense, and the smarter thing to do is to offload at least one and use the money to fund a move for a more spectacular player.

Joao Felix

Joao Felix said Barca was his dream club and joined the Catalans on loan from Atletico de Madrid at the start of this season.

He has almost burned the bridge that took him from the Madrid club to Catalonia, but he shouldn't because he would need it at the end of this term.

He started his spell at Catalonia very well, but things have not gone to plan for the Portuguese star on a general note.

Felix, just like Antoine Griezmann, is proving that players from Atletico Madrid should have almost no business moving to Barcelona.

Although he flopped at Chelsea, we had expected him to do better under a manager like Xavi, but after 20 league games, he has just five goals and two assists.

At 24, he still has time to reach his full potential, but Barca cannot take the risk and make his move from Atletico Madrid permanent at the end of this term.

The best thing to do would be to offload him and send him back to Atletico de Madrid while looking for a more lethal striker to add to the group.

Conclusion

These players have tried their best on the books of Barca, but for the team to move forward and become successful again, they have to leave.