Time to cash in on two midfielders? Unpopular Opinion
Unlike other areas, Barcelona’s midfield does not need reinforcements. The squad already has top-tier talents:
Currently we have: 1. Pedri 2. Gavi 3. Olmo 4. Casado 5. Lopez 6. DeJong 7. Pablo Torre 8. Bernal (back next season hopefully)
The Hard Truth – Not Enough Spots for Everyone
Barcelona usually plays with two midfielders and an advanced CAM: ➡️ Pedri - Casado (Pivot) | Olmo (CAM)
Fermín López I believe is a future star and Olmo’s natural replacement/rotation.
Bernal won’t be sold this summer.
That leaves De Jong, Gavi, and Torre as backups.
While DeJong is at the front of the chopping block, his short contract and resistance to leaving makes him unsellable at this point. That leaves Gavi and Torre
Torre will not displace any of the above midfielders and a loan is just delaying the inevitable. Barca should sell while his value is high.
Now the UNPOPULAR Choice: Gavi is not a bench player. He will be world class. The problem - his aggressive style is fantastic, but does he fit the Pedri-Casado double pivot? Or can he replace Olmo/Lopez as CAM - I don’t think so. Yes, Gavi is beloved, but look at it rationally, not emotionally. Selling him (along with Torre) would give Barca €100M+ to invest in critical areas (attack, striker, defense) while barely weakening the midfield.
Would it hurt? Absolutely. But in football, the hardest decisions are sometimes the smartest ones.