Barcelona defender poised to leave in January – four clubs interested | OneFootball

Barcelona will struggle to sign players during the upcoming winter transfer window, but there could be departures. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is a leading candidate in the first team, and in the case of Barca Atletic, Mamadou Mbacke is poised to end his two-year stay in Catalonia.

Mbacke, whom Barcelona signed permanently from LAFC in the summer of 2024 after a six-month loan spell, has struggled to convince Hansi Flick’s coaching staff that he is deserving of a first team call-up. Given that he is now 23 years of age, it is expected that his future will soon be away from the Catalan club, who want to cash in now before his contract expires at the end of the season.

Image via FC Barcelona

According to AfricaFoot (via MD), there are a number of clubs interested in signing Mbacke in January. Champions League side Slavia Prague are keen, with the same also being said for Europa League-competing FC Basel. In Spain, Cadiz and Malaga are said to be in the race, although they are both behind the aforementioned European clubs.

Barcelona want Mbacke’s salary off the books

It is no secret that Barcelona want to save money by getting unwanted players’ wages off the books, and Mbacke is one of those who this applies to. Given that he has no future in Catalonia, the club want to let him leave now, which would give some leeway in terms of being able to offer better wages of prospective signings.

It will be interesting to see how the situation with Mbacke plays out in the lead-up to the winter transfer window. Barcelona have made it clear that an exit is very possible, although it will still need to be on their terms – if not, there is a chance that the Senegalese sees out his contract at the club.