Gerard’s Deulofeu’s agent unhappy with Barcelona link

Gerard Deulofeu’s representative Gines Carvajal is concerned by the ongoing interest from Barcelona as it could potentially harm his client’s chances of making the Spain World Cup squad.


The Everton winger failed to make himself a regular under Ronald Koeman in the first half of the previous campaign, and he was therein allowed to join AC Milan on a short-term loan to gain valuable first-team experience. At San Siro, the former La Masia graduate managed to make a huge impression with four goals in the Serie A, and this earned him a recall to the Spain squad after a three-year wait.

Deulofeu is due to be sold on his return to Goodison this summer, but Barcelona have the first refusal on his contract, meaning that they could re-sign him for a £10.2m fee during the upcoming transfer window. However, the clause is said to have some complications as Barcelona cannot loan or sell the player outright, and he will have to stick with the first-team for at least one season. New Barca boss Ernesto Valverde is a huge admirer of Deulofeu, but his agent is nevertheless angry over the ongoing interest as it could diminish his client’s World Cup hopes.

Barcelona are hugely dependent on the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in the frontline, and Deulofeu is likely to warm the substitutes’ bench during the 2017/18 season. A move to Camp Nou would be beneficial in terms of a salary package, but the winger is more focused on earning playing time which could see him realise his World Cup ambition. Carvajal has cited that a final decision is likely to be made in the coming days with Barcelona having to act on the proposed buy-back clause before the end of the month. Barca are also weighing up deals for Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti during this summer’s transfer window.