Andre Gomes Set To Leave Barca
REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Andre Gomes is reportedly set to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.
Gomes has had an underwhelming first season at the Nou Camp following his £35 million move to the club from fellow Spanish side Valencia last summer. The 23-year-old midfielder has made just 17 starts in La Liga, while coming off the bench 11 times. In those appearances, he has managed a woeful total of just 3 goals and 1 assist.
He has been deemed a flop by pundits and fans alike, with the latter going so far as to boo him while he was on the pitch. His failure to win over the Catalan outfit’s fans has made him unsettled at the club, and reports suggest he is set to move on in the summer, just one season after joining.
The Portugal international’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is said to have offered his client to several of Europe’s elite clubs, including Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid, and the club that knocked them out of the Champions League – Juventus.
Spanish news outlet Don Balon has further claimed that he has been listed up for sale, and a move to a rival could very well be on the cards.
Should they decide to let go of Gomes, Barcelona are likely to suffer a huge loss on the amount they paid Valencia to sign him. The total amount plus add-ons that the La Liga giants had to let go of in order to bring the midfielder to the Nou Camp is said to be around £60 million, but it is unlikely that any club would be willing to match that amount taking into account his performances this season.
Luis Enrique was quick to jump to the defense of Gomes recently, and insisted that the young Portuguese has a big future at the club. He said: “Beyond the two goals — the first of which is a very difficult finish — Andre has humongous potential.
“I can and will say that 1000 times over, even if he is criticised a lot. He can play in different positions … he’s only using 30 percent of his capacity. Imagine him at 100 percent.
“He needs to improve emotionally but he’s at the best possible club to do that. He’s very demanding, very responsible and he has quality.”
Written by Reyhan Ashley Nath 
Manchester United fan, Wayne Rooney is his role model. Passionate writer who has written for several sites in the past. He’s also an aspiring pianist and creates background music for BlameFootball’s Youtube channel.