Barcelona are continuing efforts to raise funds by getting players off the books, and the latest to leave will be a promising academy talent: Noah Darvich.
Two years ago, Barcelona signed Darvich from Bundesliga side Freiburg for a fee of €2.5m, and there was much anticipation about his arrival. He had included in the youth categories of the German national team, and there was hope that he would fulfil his potential in Catalonia.
However, it was not to be. Darvich has not made a single appearance for the Barcelona during his two years at the club, and he is now set to leave. As reported by Florian Plettenburg, he will soon return to Germany to join Stuttgart.
Darvich will join Stuttgart on a permanent basis, with terms having been agreed with Barcelona. The Bundesliga side have been chasing the teenager since last month, and they have been rewarded with a seemingly favourable deal.
It’s reported that Barcelona will receive a small fee for selling Darvich, but crucially, there will be no release clause, no buy-back option or matching rights for the Catalans. As such, they will lose control over his future.
Hansi Flick has given opportunities to a number of La Masia players since taking over as head coach last summer, but Darvich was not one of them. And with this sale, it is believed that Barcelona no longer value him as highly as they once did.
The chances of Darvich being involved in the first team next season would have been even slimmer, considering that Raphinha is expected to play as an attacking midfielder due to the planned arrival of Nico Williams. As such, a sale makes sense for all parties, but retaining no control over his future is a blow.
