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Could a return to Barcelona be on the cards?

7 former Barcelona youngsters with active buy-back clauses in their contracts

Barcelona are renowned for developing young players, but not all of them are fortunate enough to make the grade at Camp Nou.

For every Lamine Yamal or Gavi, there are countless other examples of young Barcelona players who manage to slip through the net and forge a career for themselves elsewhere.

We’ve looked at seven youngsters that Barcelona have sold in recent years who currently have active buy-back clauses in their contracts.

Nico Gonzalez

Despite being highly-rated at Barcelona, the club decided to let him go in 2023 when Porto came calling.

The Spanish giants received a fee of around £7million for the midfielder, but they did insert a £25million buy-back clause into his contract.

Since moving to Portugal, Gonzalez has developed into a key player for Porto, having started in 17 of their 19 league matches so far this season.

Along with averaging two tackles per game, the 23-year-old also has an eye for goal and is currently averaging a goal contribution every 180 minutes.

If Barcelona do want to bring him back to Camp Nou, they’ll have to act quickly as their buy-back clause will expire at some point this year.

Francisco Trincao

The Portuguese winger racked up 42 appearances for Barcelona, with the majority of those games being as a substitute.

Then after spending a few years out on loan, he joined Sporting on a permanent basis in 2023 for a fee of around £8million.

With Barcelona keen to protect themselves, they inserted a £20million buy-back option into the deal along with a 50% sell-on clause.

Since leaving Spain, the 25-year-old has done well for himself, having produced 39 goal contributions over the last season and a half.

Barcelona’s buy-back option will remain active until 2026, although the club seem unlikely to trigger it.

Estanis Pedrola

Following a loan spell with Sampdoria in 2023-24, the move was made permanent last summer for £2.5million.

The 21-year-old winger hasn’t featured much this season due to injury but is still a highly-regarded prospect for the future.

Along with having a buy-back option, Barcelona also inserted a hefty 50% sell-on clause into his deal with Sampdoria.

Abde Ezzazouli

After making 14 senior appearances for the club, Ezzazouli joined Real Betis in 2023 for a fee of just over £6million.

The Moroccan winger has nailed down a consistent starting spot under Manuel Pellegrini of late and is starting to prove his worth at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.

During 2024-25, only five players in La Liga have completed more successful dribbles than Ezzazouli has managed (40).

Barcelona do have the option to buy him back for around £17million, but he seems content at Betis for the time being.


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Mikayil Faye

Despite never making a senior appearance for the club, Barcelona were still keen to include a buy-back clause when selling Faye to Stade Rennais.

Since making the switch to France in the summer, the 20-year-old centre-half has made 10 appearances, with seven of those being starts.

Barcelona have the option to re-sign him for £21million, although it’s too early to tell if the club will be tempted to trigger that clause.

Riqui Puig

Once tipped as Andres Iniesta’s long-term replacement, Puig was highly thought of during his formative years with Barcelona.

The dynamic Spanish midfielder went on to make 60 senior appearances for the club before he joined LA Galaxy in the summer of 2022.

While Barcelona didn’t receive a transfer fee for Puig, they did include an £8million buy-back clause in his deal with the MLS side.

Since moving to the United States, the 25-year-old has looked a cut above the competition.

He managed to win the MLS Cup Playoffs last season and chipped in with 17 goals and 13 assists throughout the campaign from midfield.

There’s no doubt that Puig has the ability to cut it in one of Europe’s top five leagues, but he seems to be settled at LA Galaxy for the time being.

Federico Redondo for Inter Miami

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Carles Alena

After racking up 44 appearances, Barcelona let Alena leave in January 2021 when Getafe came calling.

Since making the switch, the 27-year-old has developed into a solid player in La Liga, although we can’t see Barcelona triggering his buy-back option.