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| Barcelona's Spanish coach Xavi (R) gestures to Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez (L) during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on April 24, 2022. |
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez will reportedly
refuse to let Nico Gonzalez leave the club this summer as he wants him in his
squad for next season.
There has been speculation this week that Nico is
‘seriously considering’ a loan move away as he’s worried about his game time in
2022-23.
However, Xavi and his staff consider Nico to be an
“important piece” and do not want him to move away from the Camp Nou, as
reported by Diario AS.
Xavi understand Nico needs to keep developing but
his coaching staff have seen “significant” progress in the 20-year-old’s play.
Barcelona’s intention is to keep working closely
with Nico “so that he improves in certain aspects of the game.”
The problem will be how much Nico features next
season, particularly with Franck Kessie having joined Sergio Busquets, Frenkie
de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, and Nico in the squad.
Nico will have his work cut out gaining minutes but
it’s thought Barca trust him a lot and could even hand him a contract renewal
that runs until 2028 before the end of the year.
