Spanish giants Barcelona are looking to sell a two benchwarmers in order to garner enough funds to be able to snap up a marquee player.

 

Barcelona have been very quiet in the summer transfer market thus far, and have only signed Spanish left-back Jordi Alba from Valencia.

 

In the wake of Seydou Keita’s departure though, new Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova is looking to sign a big name player in order to strengthen the squad.

 

However, according to Spanish daily Marca, the Catalan manager has only got a transfer budget of €26M at his disposal, which will not be enough to snap up an elite star in the present market.

 

Vilanova has been linked with a number of players, with various sources suggesting the manager has his eyes set on signing a central defender and a defensive midfielder, with Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez top of his shortlist. However, Barcelona would need at least €40M in the transfer kitty to secure the signature of a marquee player and will need to raise funds to complete that purchase.

 

The two players who have been earmarked to raise the transfer budget are Ibrahim Afellay and Adriano. It seems that both are not needed at the Camp Nou after Josep Guardiola’s resignation and will be used to free up space for a world-renowned player.

 

Afellay hardly played for Barcelona last season and only made five appearances. The Dutch attacking midfielder is not in Vilanova’s plans as Los Cules are already stocked with quality attacking central players. On the other hand, Alba’s arrival is the prime reason why Adriano also finds himself available for sale.

 

The Catalan giants have been approached by many clubs for Afellay and Adriano, and after reports surfacing that Los Cules are ready to sell at the right price, a bidding war may ensue for these two talented individuals.

 

Latest Features: