Barcelona attacking midfielder Alex Collado reportedly wants to leave the Catalan club in the summer transfer window.
According to reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona midfielder Alex Collado wishes to leave the club in the summer transfer window and has informed manager Xavi Hernandez of the same. Collado is looking for greener pastures where he could get regular game time.
The 23-year-old is a Barcelona youth product, graduating from the club’s famed La Masia academy. But he has failed to cement a spot in the first team setup at Camp Nou. Collado spent the second half of last season on loan at Granada, making 17 appearances for them in La Liga while scoring twice and registering an assist.
He has now returned to Camp Nou after the completion of his loan spell but does not feature in Xavi Hernandez’s plans at Barcelona going forward. So far, Collado has made just two senior appearances for the Blaugrana, one of which came in the 2018/19 season and the other in the 2019/20 season.
Since then, the 23-year-old has not featured for Barcelona and will struggle to get game time if he stays with the Catalan giants. Collado reportedly signed an extension with the club until 2024, but he now looks unlikely to stay at Camp Nou beyond the ongoing transfer window.
Álex Collado could leave Barcelona in the next days. Been told the Spanish midfielder asked Xavi to leave the club and have chances to play as he wants regular game time after direct conversation with the manager. ??? #FCB
Collado extended contract with FCB until June 2024. pic.twitter.com/7LbrdmUkVC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 4, 2022
The 23-year-old is attracting interest from three La Liga clubs, Elche, Espanyol and Real Sociedad and could be on the move this summer. Barcelona’s recent signings have pushed Collado further down the pecking order, and it would be in the best interest of all parties involved that a sale is sanctioned.
The Blaugrana have signed Raphinha from Leeds United and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, and have also re-signed Ousmane Dembele on a new deal. This has left quite a few of Barcelona’s attackers looking at an uncertain future at the Catalan club, including Barcelona.
Memphis Depay is one player whose game time could take a serious hit next season, and he has thus been linked with a summer exit from Barcelona. Recent reports claim that Chelsea have set sights on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left Premier League club Arsenal this January to move to Barcelona. As for Collado, it will be interesting to see if the 23-year-old La Masia graduate leaves anytime soon.
