Barcelona are considering some drastic measures in order to get forward Martin Braithwaite out of the club, according to reports.
The Catalan giants’ summer has been a melee of action which shows no signs of slowing down. After activating various “economic levers”, Barca relieved some debt pressure and freed up funds for new signings.
As a result, five new faces have arrived at Camp Nou thus far. Leading them is Poland Striker Robert Lewandowski, who joined from Bayern Munich. Other arrivals include Raphinha, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, and Jules Kounde.
However, Joan Laporta and co. had to put in a lot of work to ensure these players were available for their La Liga opener. They activated a fourth “economic lever”, selling a stake in Barca studios for €100 million.
With this, four of their five summer signings registered with the league and featured in the 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano. Unfortunately, Jules Kounde missed out. Barca still need to move some more “salary mass” to register the defender.
And the club has identified Martin Braithwaite as the man to make way so they can cut the wage bill. But, to their despair, the Danish striker is not going peacefully.
Barcelona and Martin Braithwaite in exit deadlock
According to Spanish outlet SPORT, Barcelona have realised that Martin Braithwaite will not negotiate for a voluntary exit. Instead, Barca may have to pay off his contract and release the player, costing a lot of money.
Currently, the Danish player wants to stay at the club, as per Caught Offside. He has even turned down moves to other sides. If Barca want him out, he will not leave without payment of his contract.
Therefore, Barcelona are looking into legal options that may allow them to get rid of Martin Braithwaite without paying the last two years of his deal. The ex-Middlesbrough forward joined Barca on a controversial emergency transfer from Leganes in 2020.
At the time, the Catalan side tied him down with a four-year deal – which Braithwaite is only halfway through.
SPORT also states that people in the club are unhappy with Braithwaite’s attitude to the whole saga. The need for him to move on also becomes increasingly essential, with another new signing on the way.
Barca set for another signing
As well as the need to register Kounde, Braithwaite’s exit will create wiggle room for a new defender. According to Metro, Barca have agreed on a deal for Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso worth £9 million.
But, just like Kounde, he will be un-registered unless the La Liga side’s wage bill comes down. Despite this, the Spaniard missed the Blues’ first two league games due to his impending move.
Elsewhere, Barca still have hopes of signing Bernardo Silva from Manchester City. However, this would take some more financial juggling, and would likely need Frenkie de Jong to leave first.
Barcelona have had one of the most confusing, frantic, and bizarre transfer windows ever seen. With two weeks left of this summer’s window, there could be plenty more twists on the horizon.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
