Suarez, Rakitic, Vidal, Umtiti likely to leave Barcelona

August 27, 2020 00:00:00

MADRID, Aug 26 (AP): With or without Lionel Messi, incoming Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman seems to be clear about who won't fit into his squad next season. Among them are some key players from recent years, including Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti.

Catalan radio station RAC1 said Suárez was one of the first to get a call from Koeman saying he wasn't going to be used anymore. The 33-year-old Uruguay striker joined Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014 and helped the Spanish club win a series of titles, including four Spanish leagues, four Copa delReys and one Champions League. He scored nearly 200 goals in more than 280 appearances with the club.

Among the players touted as possible replacements for Suárez were Lyon's Memphis Depay and Inter Milan's LautaroMartínez. Already on the team and ready to contribute in attack are Martin Braithwaite and youngster Francisco Trincão.

Also reportedly getting the call from Koeman was the 32-year-old Rakitic, the Croatia midfielder who also arrived in 2014 after a long stint with Sevilla. Rakitic was a regular starter throughout the years but hadn't been getting as many minutes recently.

Young Dutchman Frenkie de Jong joined the club last year and Barcelona will also be counting on MiralemPjanic, who was signed from Juventus in a trade involving Arthur.

The 33-year-old Vidal was set to leave after only two years with Barcelona. The Chile midfielder had been playing more often than Rakitic but could also lose space with Pjanic's arrival.

The fourth player reportedly out was Umtiti, a 26-year-old central defender who has struggled with a series of injuries since joining Barcelona from Lyon in 2016. Clément Lenglet had been the regular starter in defense along with captain Gerard Piqué.

The 33-year-old Pique was the first to call for a major restructuring of the club after the loss to Bayern, saying that if needed he himself would be willing to step aside to help the club. There were still doubts about the future of Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto.