Barcelona are hoping to finalise the deal to sell defender Junior Firpo this week, after which they will focus on other members of the first team that have been deemed surplus to requirements. Miralem Pjanic is top of that list at the moment, with the La Liga club keen to offload him this summer.

The Catalan club have already waved goodbye to fringe players Jean-Clair Todibo and Konrad de la Fuente and are now beginning to focus on the senior team. Firpo is likely to be the first to leave with the left-back's transfer process already at an advanced stage.

Barcelona have agreed a €15 million (£12.8m) fee for Firpo with English Premier League club Leeds United. However, according to Spanish publication Sport, they are still to finalise the payment structure as Real Betis are owed 20 percent of the final sale fee.

AC Milan were on the trail of Firpo, who was initially not keen to move to England, but the prospect of playing for Marcelo Bielsa at United has changed the left-back's mind. He is now expected to complete the transfer in the coming days.

Pjanic, meanwhile, has failed to impress since moving to the Camp Nou in 2020. The Bosnian failed to net a single goal or register an assist in his 30 appearances across all competitions last season.

Barcelona are keen to offload the midfielder and get him off their wage bill. Luckily, Pjanic has attracted plenty of interest from clubs in Italy and England. Juventus, Pjanic's former club, are said to be interested in signing him on a two-year loan but he will have to take a pay cut so they can afford him in this financial climate.

AC Milan and Inter Milan have also made inquiries for the Bosnia international but Juventus remains his only choice in Italy. More recently, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have also registered an interest in signing him on loan.

The English club's newly appointed sporting director Fabio Paratici is a big admirer of Pjanic and the duo are familiar with each other from their time together at Juventus. Barcelona will hope that they can reach an agreement with either Juventus or Spurs with regards to a move this summer.

Firpo and Pjanic are likely to be the first of many departures from the Barcelona first team this season. The Calatan club are desperate to reduce their wage bill and are looking to offload many senior players like Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Neto and Martin Braitwaite among others.

Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman returns to the club he helped win the European Cup in 1992 Josep LAGO/AFP