Barcelona are being very cautious about the future of Ez Abde. The 21-year-old had an impressive season on loan with Osasuna wherein he made 34 appearances, scoring six goals.
Now that the winger has returned, Xavi must make a decision on his future and if a report from SPORT is to be believed, the youngster has been put on the market by the team and they have already received several proposals for the player.
Abde was recently called up to the Morocco under-23 team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations U-23. The 21-year-old went on to score three goals in his first two games before he was rested against Ghana in the third group stage game.
Barcelona made the request for him to not play in the tournament as they do not want to risk the player with an injury. This is because Xavi wants him to be a part of the pre-season programme.
But, that does not necessarily mean Abde will end up staying at the club beyond the summer.
The 21-year-old showed his skills while being on loan at Osasuna, but it must be remembered that the competition on wings at Barça is already a bit too much.
So if Abde is willing to settle for a secondary role, the team might think of his continuity but if not, the parties could part ways. Given Barcelona’s need to make sales and generate revenue, they are willing to offload him if an offer of €35 million comes along.
Interestingly enough, Abde already has several suitors waiting for him to make a decision and rumours have it that Real Betis happen to be one of them, although they would only be looking at a loan deal.
Betis’ sporting director, Ramon Planes, highly rates the winger, but even he has admitted that the signing will only be possible in the last week of the market, which is why they are not ready to rely on Barcelona entirely.
But the Blaugrana do have offers for the 21-year-old starlet and it remains to be seen whether they deem any of those acceptable.
