4 players who should be offloaded by Barcelona next season
By all standards, this has been a great season for Barcelona. Holding a five-point lead over bitter rivals Real Madrid in second place (with the potential to make it eight points with a victory against Athletic Bilbao), the Blaugrana look all but set to retain their league title.
Elsewhere, they're also in contention for a record-breaking fifth consecutive Copa del Rey crown, although they have the small matter of negotiating their way around an El Clasico second leg at the Bernabeu to make it to the final. The Champions League is also within sights, as they have been paired with Lyon in the round-of-16.
Their charge on all three fronts has largely been led by Lionel Messi, as the Argentine legend has seemingly taken it upon himself to write the wrongs from last season, with him taking Barcelona to new heights with his performance levels.
However, for all of Messi's brilliance, he has been ably assisted in other departments, with ultra reliable stalwarts such as Sergio Busquets, Gerad Pique and Luis Suarez continuing to perform at the highest levels, while new blood like Clement Lenglet, Ousmane Dembele and Arthur Melo have also played their part.
Nevertheless, it has not all been smooth sailing for the club, as some of their players have performed well below par, not playing to their optimum and offering little or no contribution to the Barca cause. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at four players who the Barcelona board should be looking at selling ahead of next season.
#1 Philippe Coutinho
After some protracted transfer negotiations involving Coutinho which Liverpool failed to sanction, Barcelona finally got their prized man in January 2018 for a club record fee.
The Brazilian arrived amidst much fanfare as he was seen as the long-term successor to midfield icon Andres Iniesta and it started impressively enough for the 26-year-old as he scored 10 goals in 22 matches in all competitions for the Catalan giants.
However, it has all gone downhill since then, as he has struggled for form and currently finds himself out of the first team picture, as Ernersto Valverde has shown a preference for a forward line of Messi, Suarez and Dembele.
Coutinho's form has been alarming to say the least, as the confident player unafraid of taking shots from range and beating players with his close control has been replaced by an unconfident man scared of doing the things which helped him achieve greatness.
Reports have emanated that the club are willing to listen to offers for the Brazilian international and with Barcelona more than stocked in the midfield and forward ranks, it is safe to say that he might not be missed if he does depart.
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