Barcelona are set to sell young starlet Nico Gonzalez to FC Porto, but they will have a buyback clause in the deal.
The 21-year-old will leave Barcelona on a permanent transfer, with Xavi choosing to sign a more experienced option in Oriol Romeu to help replace Sergio Busquets at the base of midfield.
Nico had an impressive loan spell at Valencia last season, but there is little space for him in the Barcelona midfield right now, and a move away could help him further develop.
With Barcelona needing to raise funds in this window, extra sales are welcomed, and Nico could still return in the future if he develops well at Porto.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Barcelona will receive €8m (£6.8m) for the Spaniard, but will also have a buyback clause as well as a 40% sell-on clause in the deal.
Is this a good deal for Barcelona?
Although Xavi has previously described Nico as “extraordinary,” it is clear that by signing Romeu, he preferred a ready-made option to replace Busquets, who departed for Inter Miami after an incredible career at Barcelona.
If Busquets had stayed, perhaps Nico could have been integrated into the squad to learn from the veteran for a season before eventually becoming his successor, but Romeu has now arrived as a stop-gap option as a number six.
Nico moving to Porto could help him in the long run, as gaining some continuity and regular game time at a Champions League club would be better for his development than being stuck on the bench, and given that he has a buyback clause, the door is still open for him to return as a long-term option.
The Spaniard can provide a physical presence as well as technical security on the ball, but unlike fellow La Masia graduates Gavi and Alejandro Balde, Xavi has deemed it too risky to fast-track him into the first-team, and gaining a transfer fee for him now means that all parties involved in the deal will be happy.