Barcelona are likely to lose 18-year-old forward Marc Guiu to Chelsea, with the Premier League side set to pay his €6m release clause. Guiu made seven appearances for the first team this season, and scored twice, including a winner against Athletic Club on his debut.
The teenager was linked with a loan move this summer to another La Liga side, with Barcelona looking to retain him. They have offered him a new deal – his current one expires in 2025 – but have not received a response so far.
Marc Guiu is playing his final minutes for Barcelona except for a major u-turn. Chelsea are ready to pay his €6m release clause and the player has advanced agreements with the London club. @gerardromero
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 23, 2024
As per Jijantes, via Sport, Bayern Munich are also in the running for his signature, but positive talks with Chelsea over the weekend have him close to a move to London. Guiu is close to agreeing personal terms with them.
As a general rule Barcelona have been reasonably successful at retaining their young talents of late, but as finances continue to bite hard, they will continue to rely on a degree of sentimentality from their youngsters, as they do not have the money to compete with the likes of Chelsea. While they would obviously rather retain Guiu in case he becomes a star, at the very least a €6m fee will help their accounts in the short-term.
