Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly urged manager Ernesto Valverde is issue a big clear out of five stars for the Spanish giants in the summer.
This is according to the Daily Star, who are re-reporting an article from Diario Gol, who are stating that the Argentine forward is to play a fairly big part in Barcelona’s preparations for next campaign, and that Messi has asked for five of his Blaugrana teammates to depart the club.
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The news outlet have also reported that these five stars are Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer, Aleix Vidal, Lucas Digne and Denis Suarez, meaning that if Messi gets his wish, Valverde will have a serious rebuilding job on his hands at the Nou Camp this summer.
Since his arrival from Valencia for an initial €35M in the summer of 2016 (fee as per BBC), Gomes is a player who has failed to make a serious impact at the Camp Nou, with players such as Paulinho, Iniesta and Rakitic often being preferred ahead of the Portuguese international.
Another player who is in a similar position is forward Alcacer, who joined the club for €30M in the same window as Gomes (fee as per BBC), as the Spaniard has struggled to get both game time and goals for Ernesto Valverde’s side.
Although he’s being used a fair amount this season, Vidal is another player who has failed to live up to expectations, with the Spaniard often coming off the bench late in games in order to help the Blaugrana see out a win.
Denis Suarez is one that, despite displaying his clear quality time and time again, is one who doesn’t necessarily get the game time that he deserves.
Despite being given chances in the first team time and time again in the absence of Jordi Alba, Digne has also failed to impress fans with the opportunities he’s been given.
If Messi does get his wish, manager Ernesto Valverde will have quite the job in his hands this summer transfer window.