Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic is set to stay at Camp Nou despite being linked with an exit while Mika Marmol is on the radars of FC Andorra.
According to journalist Achraf Ben Ayad, Miralem Pjanic is likely to stay put at Barcelona this summer despite being heavily linked with an exit from the Catalan club.
Pjanic joined Barcelona two years ago from Juventus as part of a convoluted deal that saw Arthur Melo move the other way. However, the transfer has backfired spectacularly for all parties as neither player has been successful at their new clubs. Pjanic endured a difficult debut campaign in Barcelona under Ronald Koeman and was then sent out on loan to Besiktas last summer.
Pjanic endured a middling season in Turkey before returning to Barcelona this summer. The midfielder was widely expected to be sold by the Catalan giants this summer given the number of players they already have in the midfield department. However, the 32-year-old has seemingly made a big impression on manager Xavi Hernandez during the pre-season.
Indeed, Pjanic is said to have pleasantly surprised the Barcelona coaching staff with his tactical nous and ability to understand the requirements of playing as a single pivot in the centre of the park, something which was visible in his performance against Juventus last month. And, it has seemingly convinced the club to keep hold of Pjanic this summer, even though he is attracting interest from Italy.
The Bosnian will likely be used as a backup for club captain Sergio Busquets in the No. 6 role, although it will raise question marks over the future of young Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez, whose game-time is likely to take a further hit in case Pjanic does end up staying beyond the summer window.
Mika Marmol on the radars of FC Andorra
While Miralem Pjanic is set to stay put at Barcelona, a young defender in Mika Marmol could be on his way out, with lower league side FC Andorra interested in his services, reports Albert Roge.
Marmol is a product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth setup and has been a regular for the club’s Atletic team over the past couple of seasons. He even made his senior debut for the Blaugrana towards the end of the last season. While it was expected that the centre-back could be bumped up to the first-team setup permanently this season, that has not been the case.
Instead, Marmol was excluded from the pre-season trip to the US and has been training with the Atletic side under their new manager Rafa Marquez. However, the left-footed defender, who can play at centre-back or left-back, is expected to depart on loan, with FC Andorra emerging as a possible destination.
Owned by Barcelona veteran Gerard Pique, FC Andorra have earned promotion to La Liga 2 and will be participating in the second tier of Spanish football in the upcoming campaign. Regular game-time at that level could benefit Marmol and help him gain valuable experience, preparing him for a return to Barcelona.
However, with Marmol’s contract expiring in 2023, Barcelona will have to first extend his deal before loaning him out or decide if they plan to offload him permanently with a potential future buyback clause like they did with Oscar Mingueza.
