Danger for Barcelona as clubs from Middle East target La Masia talents
However, the years of effort and resources invested by the club's various departments can bear fruit in other ways – through sales, loan deals with purchase options, or retaining a percentage of future transfers.
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Then there are more difficult cases to manage: when a player's contract ends, he refuses a renewal offer, and leaves for free, contributing nothing financially to the club.
This has recently happened twice at Barça, with both those players ending up moving to the Middle East and SPORT reports that many other La Masia players have been approached by Saudi and Qatari clubs.
Pau Prim to Al-Sadd
Pau Prim, sidelined from Barça Atletic for months due to his refusal to renew, has just signed with Al-Sadd in Qatar.
Prim, a defensive midfielder shaped by Barcelona's style and at the club for over half his life, received a lucrative offer from the Doha-based side and has signed for the next four seasons.
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The player who started it all was Unai Hernandez, who left in January for Saudi Arabia. Al-Ittihad signed the former Barça Atletic captain and one of the standout players in the reserve team at the time, representing a major loss for the Catalans.
Unai Hernandez left Barcelona for Al-Ittihad in January. (Photo by)
Unai signed a contract through 2028 and has already won a league and cup double in Saudi Arabia within a few months, alongside the likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and Danilo.
He could have waited until July to leave for free, but the agreement between Barça and Al-Ittihad brought nearly €5 million into the club's coffers.
Arnau Pradas the latest
The latest departure from La Masia to the Middle East involves Arnau Pradas. The 19-year-old winger, at the Barcelona academy since 2013, has just signed for Al-Wahda in the United Arab Emirates after his contract expired on 30 June.
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Barça waited, perhaps too long, to try and extend his contract, and the renewal offer failed to convince the player, who opted to move to Abu Dhabi, where he has signed until 2029.
There is no doubt that the Middle East poses a real threat to Barça's academy. After all, multi-year, high-paying contracts and increasingly competitive leagues serve as a strong lure.
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