Xavi betrays Barcelona veteran and will do nothing to prevent him from leaving: Reports
Xavi Hernandez has reportedly betrayed Barcelona veteran Jordi Alba and will not interfere with the club's desire to sell him at the earliest, as per El Nacional.
The Catalan giants are ready to take a ruthless approach in 2023 when it comes to offloading players that aren't playing at a high level. Among the names mentioned are Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique, who are both expected to leave the club at the end of the season.
Barca tried to sell Alba vehemently this summer and even agreed to terms with Inter Milan behind his back. However, the Spain international outright rejected the offer and stayed put at Camp Nou.
Such is Barcelona's desperation to offload Alba that they are willing to let him leave as a free agent next year. The left-back seems intent on staying at the club where he has been since joining them from Valencia in the summer of 2012.
Jordi Alba 🤗 Sergio Busquets https://t.co/QB2eE5N3f8
Until the current campaign, Alba had been the Catalan giants' undisputed pick for the left-back position. He has scored 25 goals and provided 94 assists in 436 games for Barcelona across competitions.
Xavi reportedly counted on the veteran before the start of the season but things have gone awry for Alba since then. La Masia product Alejandro Balde and newly-signed Marcos Alonso are both ahead of him in the pecking order.
Alba has no goals or assists in seven games across competitions this season, and he has started in just four games for Xavi. The Spanish tactician, who shared the pitch 108 times with Alba as teammates during his playing days, wants Barca to offload the left-back.
Reportedly, it was Xavi who had asked sporting director Mateu Alemany to ensure Alba's prompt exit from his side.
Eduard Romeu aware of player wages putting a strain on Barcelona's financial situation
Barcelona vice-president Eduard Romeu has admitted that the club is currently bearing the brunt of paying big contracts to players that don't hold much importance to their team.
He recently said (h/t 90min):
"What throws us off is the amount we spend on our player salaries. There are a group of [contracts] that have a very important cost and between this season and the next they will disappear.”
The 90min report claims that Romeu specifically referred to the contract situations surrounding Busquets, Pique, and Alba. Barca consider this particular trio to be expendable and want to offload them to make up for the heavy spending they have done this summer.