If Sport’s Wednesday claims are correct then Barcelona certainly can’t be accused of lacking cheek over the Gerard Deulofeu situation.
Using their buyback clause to sign Deulofeu back from Everton for €12m last summer, Barcelona didn’t really have a plan.
The club seemed to think the chance was too good to refuse, even if there wasn’t a great deal of confidence Deulofeu could get the prominence which he needs to develop his career.
A chance of making money down the line was another temptation, and if the Spaniard’s loan move to Watford goes well then that chance increases. But there’s another aspect which decreases it, Deulofeu only signed a contract with Barcelona until June 2019, which means that he’ll only have a season left on the deal when his Watford loan ends.
That means Barcelona may even struggle to make the €12m back, so the Catalan club want him to extend the deal and give them a better chance of a good transfer fee.
Unsurprisingly, Deulofeu does not see a renewal ‘through good eyes’, and isn’t prepared to do Barcelona the favour of a renewal.
The Watford loanee expects several offers in the summer window, and a short Barcelona contact will help that interest increase.
Sport say the situation is ‘complicated’, which is probably an understatement.
