Barcelona blocked 18-year-old gem’s loan exit in January, Flick keeping a close eye | OneFootball

The January transfer window saw FC Barcelona bid goodbye to some players from their reserve team.

Mamadou Mbacke and Adrian Gill were sold permanently, while Andres Cuenca secured a loan move away from the club.

More players were linked with potential exits, with Dani Rodriguez having a loan move to Dinamo Zagreb being blocked, while Guille Fernandez also stayed put after having been strongly tipped for a departure.

Xavi Espart’s loan move to Racing Santander blocked

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona blocked Xavi Espart’s loan move to Racing Santander in January because the objective is for him to grow within the club.

The versatile full-back, 18, returned to action against UD Barbastro, having completed his recovery from injury and is set to become one of the most important assets for Barça Atletic in the second half of the season.

For Barça Atletic coach Juliano Belletti, Espart is a leader on the right flank, and first-team boss Hansi Flick has already shown that he wants to keep him close.

Xavi Espart (L) is on Flick’s radar. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Within the first-team coaching staff, he is considered one of the academy players with the greatest potential. Before his injury, suffered in mid-November while on duty with the Spain Under-19 team, the 18-year-old featured in several of Flick’s squads.

Racing Santander had a clear plan for Espart. The Cantabrian club proposed a loan deal, with the possibility of extending it in the event of promotion to La Liga.

It was a comprehensive and attractive proposal, within an ideal context for the full-back’s development and introduction to elite football. Racing worked hard throughout the window, but Deco did not want to open the door.

Despite the arrival of Joao Cancelo for the same position, the roadmap did not change. The strategy is for him to develop within the club, as Flick wants to keep him under close supervision.

Espart is a well-known figure at La Masia and has continued to develop steadily since joining the academy in 2015. He began his career as a midfielder, but in recent times, he has thrived as a right-back, which has now become his main position.