Barcelona not planning to re-sign their former midfielder despite his incredible growth in Portugal | OneFootball

In the last few years, FC Barcelona have let go of several of their young and promising players, while keeping some future rights on them.

One such player was the midfielder Nico Gonzalez, who left the Catalan club to join Porto in 2023 for €8.44 million. This move has turned out to be a very successful one for the player, as he is shining in Portugal and is a regular starter for his team.

One of the rights that Barcelona still have on the player is that of a buyback for €30 million, which can only be exercised in the coming few months as it expires on 30th June 2025. However, according to SPORT, the Catalans are not planning to exercise this right, and are counting on a potential transfer to another club in the summer, which will allow them to pocked 40% of any fee paid for him.

Deco has been monitoring the player closely, but for the next summer, Barcelona are not expected to have enough of a margin to bring him back. Similarly, they are also prioritising the development and growth of their homegrown talents, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal, and thus Nico’s return does not make a lot of sense for them.

The La Masia graduate has a €60 million release clause, and Barcelona are expecting a big transfer this summer as they also have a right to get 40% of any fee paid for him. Two Premier League sides, Liverpool and Aston Villa, have shown their interest in the midfielder recently, but there have been no firm offers for him up to now.

Thus, despite him being happy and a regular starter at Porto, the Premier League is increasingly looking like his next destination, especially as Barcelona are not looking to invest in him and are also looking forward to his sale.