Barcelona willing to ‘go to war’ with attacker as they prepare to terminate his contract on last day of transfer window: Reports
Barcelona are willing to pull out all the stops to get Martin Braithwaite off the books this summer, according to Spanish news outlet Diario Sport.
The Denmark international is surplus to their requirements but he insists on remaining, exasperating the club's chiefs.
Braithwaite has another two years left on his contract but the Blaugrana want to expunge him and a few other deadwoods in the squad to reduce their wage bill.
They are ready to go as far as terminating Braithwaite's contract to achieve that.
He refused to listen to any offers and also rejected the opportunity to get a letter of freedom from Barcelona that would've made him a free agent.
The La Liga giants are now threatening to terminate his contract on the deadline day of the current transfer window. If that happens, it could become extremely difficult for him to find a new club.
Barcelona are also studying ways to avoid paying him any compensation in the event of a contract termination. While it's difficult, the side is moving forward with his case with urgency.
The Blaugrana triggered Braithwaite's release clause to sign him for €18 million from Leganes in February 2020 as a replacement for the injured Ousmane Dembele. The La Liga giants were allowed to sign a player outside the transfer window after Dembele was ruled out for six months with an injury.
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Considered one of the club's most unusual signings, the Dane scored only 10 times from 57 games across all competitions, including five in La Liga from 44 appearances.
A serious knee injury curtailed his time on the pitch last season, but even after recovering, he barely saw any gametime, ending the last season with just four outings.
Barcelona held by Rayo Vallecano on the opening day
Barcelona started their new season on a whimper as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou on the opening matchday on August 13.
Xavi fielded a strong lineup that featured new signings such as Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, but couldn't get past the visitors, who were resolute in defense.
Barcelona's new stars fail to fire in their first match of the season, as they draw 0 - 0 at home to Rayo Vallecano 👀 https://t.co/Unjx1grpjl
To rub salt in their wounds, Sergio Busquets was also sent off in stoppage time as the Blaugrana started their season winless for the first time since 2019-20.
It highlighted the scale of the problem at hand as the club clearly have a long way to go, with head coach Xavi asking their fans for patience.