Barcelona have not hesitated to offload players from La Masia this season or last, but an exception to the rule could see the Blaugrana bid farewell to one of their academy's best players. At just 20 years old, Marc Casado has been on the fringes of the first team for the past two seasons, but is yet to be given a proper shot.
In spite Barcelona lacking a natural option for the pivot position outside of Oriol Romeu, who was left on the bench often by Xavi Hernandez, Casado rarely saw playing time. Sport point out that married he has been in the first team squad on 34 occasions but has yet to make his La Liga debut. On Saturday, central defender Andreas Christensen was given the nod ahead of him this season as well.
Casado played three times for Barcelona, all in the Champions League, for a total of 45 minutes. He is also out of contract at the end of the season, and while Barcelona have the option to extend his deal for a further year, the lack of confidence shown in a regular for Barca Atletic could see him leave the club.
The Blaugrana may not feel that Casado has the long-term potential to carve out a place in the side, but it is also true that Barcelona's injury crisis has been less intense in midfield than elsewhere. Romeu, Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez have been fit all season, while one of Pedri or Gavi is often available as well, leaving Casado with a difficult job to earn minutes.
