Emerging Barcelona midfield talent reaches agreement with Qatari side
Barcelona are set to suffer a quiet but significant loss this summer with Pau Prim, one of the brightest talents from Barça Atletic, set to join Qatari club Al Sadd, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The 19-year-old midfielder, long regarded as a potential first-team pivot, has decided to leave the club after rejecting a renewal offer from Barça.
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Unless there is a last-minute twist, which appears virtually impossible, Prim will bid farewell to the Blaugrana after the final matchday of the First Federation season, where Barca Atletic take on Unionistas de Salamanca.
Interestingly, he won't even feature in the squad for that match. Since rejecting the financial terms of the renewal proposal, Prim has been sidelined from team selections, though he continued training with the group.
Reasons behind his exit
His decision to walk away from Barcelona comes down to two primary reasons: finances and opportunity. The contract extension offered by the club, which ran until June 2025, was not attractive enough for Prim or his representatives.
Pau Prim is all set to join Al Sadd. (Photo by Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images for DFB)
Additionally, the player saw his pathway to the first team as increasingly blocked. With the likes of Marc Bernal, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Marc Casado, and even Eric Garcia capable of operating in midfield, the competition for minutes was simply too fierce.
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It is worth noting that Al Sadd had already shown interest in Prim during the January transfer window. Talks back then did not materialise into a move, but the situation escalated when he was frozen out of matchday squads.
From that moment, his exit became inevitable. Prior to his exclusion, Prim had played 16 matches this season, guiding the team to a stable position.
Barcelona's loss could be Al Sadd's gain. The Qatari side have secured a technically gifted, intelligent midfielder who was once tipped to take over Sergio Busquets' role in the long run.
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