There has long since been chatter surrounding the potential departure of Riqui Puig. The Nou Camp exit door has inevitably loomed for the midfielder throughout the highs and lows that the club have experienced. In a shock turn of events, as opposed to joining another La Liga outfit, he could leave Europe altogether. Fabrizio Romano is reporting that the Barcelona youngster is in conversation with the LA Galaxy.
Barcelona Youngster Riqui Puig Edging Closer to the Exit Door
Negotiations ongoing between LA Galaxy and Riqui Puig. All parties are optimistic as Barcelona are prepared to approve the deal, final details of player’s contract being discussed. 🚨⚪️ #LAGalaxy
Barcelona want guaranteed sell-on clause included in the deal. pic.twitter.com/kfs0MEm5U1
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 2, 2022
All About Puig
Managers have come and gone for the Blaugrana, yet Barcelona youngster Riqui Puig has never been able to establish himself as a necessity. Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman have all previously been pacing the technical area at such a special stadium. This trio have brought such different things to the table yet, one of the common denominators has been using Puig all too sparingly.
As a La Masia graduate, he seemed a shoo-in to eventually grace that midfield and take on the mantle left behind by Andres Iniesta and Xavi. Talking of Xavi, it seems that the current Barcelona manager isn’t sold on Puig either. Whereas someone like Carles Alena was regularly loaned out until they decided to sell him last year to Getafe, this Barcelona youngster has remained at the club throughout.
Twenty-two is obviously young no matter how you look at it but he has been superseded by players younger than him. Pedri (19) and Gavi (17) are miles ahead of him in the pecking order for those midfield positions plus Ansu Fati, Sergiño Dest and co have all been trusted much more than Puig. It’s not all doom and gloom in that he has amassed 42 appearances since making his La Liga debut in April 2019.
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Is MLS the Right Move for the Barcelona Youngster?
The lazy narrative of Major League Soccer being a retirement league has gone on for too long now. Lorenzo Insigne was sensational for Napoli and was a key part of the Euro-winning Italy team, then went on to join Toronto FC. This is just one of many players disproving the argument and the Barcelona youngster could further the case for lovers of MLS.
Puig would be joining an LA Galaxy side with a contrast of experience and youth. Greg Vanney is a highly rated manager after excelling in Toronto, plus the likes of Sacha Kljestan and Javier Hernandez offer the know-how in very different ways. On the other hand, Mexican duo Efrain Alvarez and Julian Araujo are young and full of energy. Plus former Eintracht Frankfurt forward Dejan Joveljic is doing a solid job.
It remains to be seen if this is actually a smart move from the point of view of the Barcelona youngster. He would be joining a strong and ambitious team in a very competitive league though and they could maybe do with some youthful vibes in the middle of the park.
