Barcelona youngster Nico Gonzalez is set to leave Barcelona on loan again this summer, with it clear that he is not yet in Xavi’s plans.
The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Valencia, making 26 appearances as his side struggled throughout the campaign, but Gonzalez gave a good impression of himself.
However, he did not do enough to force his way into Xavi’s thinking, and is set for another loan spell away from Barcelona.
SPORT have reported that Real Betis are interested in the Spaniard, and a move to Manuel Pellegrini’s side could be good for his development.
Should Barcelona give Gonzalez a chance?
Barcelona are in the market for another midfielder following the departure of Sergio Busquets, and Gonzalez has played in the defensive role that the Blaugrana are looking for.
However, replacing Busquets would come with a lot of pressure, and Gonzalez may not be ready to step into his previous number six position.
There have been links with Oriol Romeu and Dani Parejo as Barcelona search for an experienced midfielder for this season. This does not rule out Gonzalez eventually being integrated into the role in the future, particularly if he does well on loan again.
Ilkay Gundogan has joined from Manchester City, and he could line up alongside Pedri and Frenkie De Jong or Gavi, with another deep midfielder to arrive.
Gonzalez would benefit from another loan where he would have a clearer path to regular minutes. At Betis, he would be competing with William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez for a starting spot. But with the club also set to compete in the Europa League, there will be ample opportunities for playing time.
He ranks highly among European midfielders for dribbling, passing and aerial duels, and he could eventually bring a lot of physicality, as well as technical security, to any side.
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