Barcelona star leaves pre-season tour, reportedly set to join Premier League side

Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde, has allowed his player to fly back to Spain to finalise his exit

What's the story?

Barcelona are currently in the middle of their pre-season tour in the United States of America and will have to continue without their left-back Lucas Digne, who has reportedly been allowed to return to Spain to finalise his exit from the club.

According to reports from Sky Sports, Digne is set to complete a move to Premier League side, Everton, after a deal worth £22 million was agreed upon on Sunday night.

In case you didn't know...

Lucas Digne joined Barcelona in 2016 on a 5-year deal but has struggled for regular playing time owing to preference being given to Jordi Alba. He has only made 29 La Liga appearances over two seasons, and as a result, missed out on spot in France's 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning side.

The heart of the matter

The 25-year-old left-back is desperate to break into the French side and is aware that he must play regularly to impress Didier Deschamps. At Everton, he is expected to become Leighton Baines' long-term successor and will definitely be a regular first-team player.

Barcelona confirmed the news with a tweet that said Digne had been allowed to fly back to Spain to finalise the deal.

❗ @LucasDigne travels today to Barcelona with the Club's permission to finalise his departure from the Club. pic.twitter.com/xNDIO3ePWX
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 29, 2018

Digne also put out a post on Instagram, thanking everyone at Barcelona:

En los últimos dos años han sido un sueño de un niño que he podido realizar quiero decir muchas Gracias a todos . En primero al Club que me ha dado todo desde que he llegado . Gracias a todos Los fisios , Los staffs con quien he trabajado , los preparadores fisicos , la gente de la seguridad , de la cucina todos hacen que El club es una famiglia La aficion que esta siempre al lado del equipo y que me ha dado mucho caliño durante dos años . La ciudad de Barcelona que se quedara siempre conmigo por loque he vivido y por la gente que esta increible a todos los momentos . Y en ultimo mis compañeros que antes de ser Los mejores jugadores del Mundo son personas increíbles que te ayudan siempre . Todo eso para decir que el Barça es mas que un club es una famiglia increible Un abrazo muy fuerte a todos y muchas suerte por la temporada 🔵🔴

A post shared by Lucas Digne (@lucasdigne) on Jul 29, 2018 at 2:50pm PDT

In this post, he said:

"I want to say thank you very much to all. First to the club that has given me everything since I arrived.

"Thanks to all the physios, the staff with whom I have worked, the physical trainers, the security people, all that make the club a family."

Video:

Pretty solid, indeed!

Rumour Rating/Probability: 9/10

Barcelona and Digne himself have publicly revealed that the star's time at Catalonia is approaching its end. Barring any late unforeseen hiccups, Digne will, almost certainly, be an Everton player next season.

What's next?

A deal has already been agreed on by both clubs, and only formalities are left to be completed. As per the aforementioned report, the move will be sealed within the next 24 hours.