If there was a standout move in the summer market of 2024/25 that likely significantly impacted the sports planning of FC Barcelona, it was the departure of Marc Guiu. Why? First, the Granollers native left under completely unexpected financial circumstances, departing the club for a minimal amount of six million euros, corresponding to his release clause. Secondly, it was the farewell of a youth academy player who initially seemed to be a strong candidate to take on the '9' position in the long term for the team.
However, fate had other plans for the Catalan forward, who was enticed by the opportunity to join the new sports project at Chelsea. The London club offered him a spot in the first team, a contract until 2030, and an annual salary of approximately three million euros gross, according to 'Capology' metrics.
Deco spoke about Marc Guiu's departure
In this context, Deco, the sports director of Barcelona, in an interview with 'AS' newspaper, shared his perspective on this matter, making it clear that the club spared no efforts to retain Marc Guiu. "Chelsea paid the clause and he has departed. He had an old contract, with a six million euro clause. He was offered an important contract and an important project, but he made the decision to go another way," he expressed.
Furthermore, the Portuguese executive regretted not being able to keep the forward, whom the club highly valued and to whom an important role in Barça's squad in the medium to long term was offered. However, this was not enough to change the player's decision. "We were not able to. The player opted for an offer from Chelsea. We offered him a project to be a forward for Barça, but he did not want to," Deco concluded.