The consequences of the humiliating defeat that Barcelona
suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich, on Friday, still shake
the pillars of the Catalan club, prompting the administration to
intervene and take unprecedented urgent measures.
Barcelona lost 2-8 at the hands of the Bavarian team in the
quarter-finals of the Champions League, in its abbreviated form,
to bid farewell to the tournament that it won for the last time in 2015.
Press reports revealed that the Barcelona administration decided
to sell most of the team’s players, including top stars and
resonant names, during the summer transfer period.
When asked the president of the club Josep Maria Bartomeu
about the authenticity of the reports, he named only 7 players
“not for sale” as part of his plan to rebuild the team, according
to his statements to the club’s TV station.
“Who is not for sale? Leo Messi. He knows that. He is the best
player in the world,” Bartomeu said.
And he continued: “We also talk about Marc Andre Ter Stegen,
Nelson Simedo, Frankie de Young, Clemo Langley, Osman
Dembele, and also Antoine Griezmann.”
The young star Ansu Fati was not among those named by
Bartomeu, but he confirmed earlier that the promising striker
would not leave the “Camp Nou”.
And on Monday, Barcelona sacked its coach, Kiki Setien,
following the resounding defeat, and all indications point to
Ronald Koeman taking over the task of coaching the team that
defended its colors as a player from 1989 to 1995.
Earlier Tuesday, the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser said that
the club is moving towards forcing a number of its top stars to
leave, while those who reject this decision threaten to deduct their salary.
The list of players demanding to leave Barcelona includes high-
caliber names, including striker Luis Suarez (33 years), left
defender Jordi Alba (31 years) and midfielder Ivan Rakitic (32
years), who are 3 of the big salaries in the club.
