Barcelona set to offload 2 stars in January as Hansi Flick plots squad clearout: Reports
Barcelona have reportedly prepared to offload two players in January, with Hansi Flick making plans for a squad clearout. According to Spanish outlet fichajes.net, the two players are Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia - two players who have struggled to find playing time this season.
In Fati's case, the winger has played just seven games this season, totaling 158 minutes. Indeed, he has only been granted a slot in the starting lineup once, with his other appearances coming from the bench. Eric Garcia has enjoyed better playing time than Fati, but he remains a rotational player.
Indeed, the defender has made 10 appearances in all competitions so far, starting in four games and playing a total of 456 minutes. This has led to uncertainty about their future at the Olympic Stadium, and according to the report, Hansi Flick has told them that they can leave in January.
Both players have reportedly told Barcelona that they would prefer to continue their careers with the club. However, if they are unable to convince the manager to improve their playing time, it is unlikely that they will be part of the Catalan giants for much longer.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick speaks ahead of Real Betis clash
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has spoken to the press ahead of their upcoming match against Real Betis. The two sides are set to face off at the Benito VIllamarin later today (December 7) for their La Liga clash.
Ahead of the game, Hansi Flick provided some insight into his starting lineup, revealing his intentions to keep playing Raphinha. He said in his press conference (via Yahoo Sports):
“We need Raphinha in all of the games, he is a key player for us. We will see how he is. If Rapha says he is good, we see how long he can play whether that is 90, or 70, or 60. He will play what he can. He will start tomorrow, Lewandowski is also important for us, and he will start too.”
He also spoke about Ronald Araujo, who has been injured and has only just returned to tull training in the past week. The Barcelona manager revealed that Araujo will not participate against Betis:
“Not for tomorrow, he will go with us to Dortmund, but not necessarily to sit on the bench. Maybe he can play. But his goal was Leganes from the start. He’s doing well in partial training, but it is not easy to include him in every match, because the team is full now."
Barcelona currently lead the La Liga rankings, and a victory against Real Betis can increase the gap between them and Real Madrid to seven points.