Barcelona Transfer Options: 6 Players They Could Sell This Summer

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The best clubs in the world are bound to have more players than they can keep happy. The allure of having a big name on the front of the shirt eventually loses out to the need to satisfy the name on the back—after lifting a couple of cups, anyway.

Barcelona is no exception.

Even though some of the players rumored to be on the way out of Camp Nou are big-time contributors at times, the allure of a new challenge may be too much to refuse. Some of these players aren't at the top of their games right now, and the pressure of playing for Barcelona can't be small.

So here are some names who could find a different crest stamped on the front of their shirts by next season.

Seydou Keita

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Of all of Barcelona's players, the one who is almost definitely on his way out this summer is Seydou Keita. With a star-studded midfield at Camp Nou, there's just no room for him.

He'll do just fine at Liverpool, which has been eyeing him since at least November.

The 6'0", 165-pound Mali international would likely have to bulk up a bit before he laces up his boots in the Premier League, but the 32-year-old's tactical awareness and ability to pick out a pass could preclude him from too many physical challenges in England.

Keita himself has said Liverpool would be an attractive new home, and he hasn't agreed to a new contract with Barça, in anticipation of a move (from TalkSport):

A challenge elsewhere would appeal to me, and Liverpool are a great team with great players. We will wait until the end of the season to see what happens. I love Barcelona. It is difficult to find a better team than them, but I am ambitious and want to play football every week.

Keita has made 22 appearances in La Liga, scoring one goal this season.

Gerard Pique

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Against Chelsea in the Champions League, Gerard Pique never joined the pre-match warm-up. In El Clasico on Saturday, he was left out again.

On April 14, he began a string of three games as an unused substitute that ended against Real Madrid. Pique is expected to be back in the lineup against Chelsea for the second leg.

But his future at the club may be far from secure, despite how important Pique has been in Barcelona's recent successes.

Also, Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in him.

Pique has been left out of multiple Champions League games this season, against BATE Borisov (twice) and AC Milan.

Cristian Tello

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This one may not happen until after next season, but Christian Tello is on a lot of teams' radars.

He's only 20 years old, and though he may be the logical successor to Lionel Messi, there's nothing to say he can't at least go out on loan to get some steady experience.

Tello has made 11 appearances for Barcelona, and he's scored three goals this season.

Valencia, Malaga, Benfica and Liverpool have been linked with possible bids for Tello. It wouldn't make any sense to give him to another club in Spain, but Benfica or Liverpool would be decent choices for him to get some weekly first-team experience.

Adriano

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Brazilian defender Adriano has been in and out of the Barcelona lineup all season.

The 27-year-old hasn't played anywhere but Spain and Brazil in his club career, but now Manchester City is joining the race to sign him—a race that already includes Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Adriano is under contract at Camp Nou until 2014, but Manchester City has the kind of money it would take to buy out his contract.

Ibrahim Afellay

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The club reportedly interested in Afellay is Tottenham. Tottenham has a player Barcelona wants desperately: Gareth Bale.

If push comes to shove, and the only way Tottenham will give up Bale is by getting Afellay in return, it might work out well for both clubs. Tottenham would get a young prospect who could challenge for playing time, and Barcelona would get an immediate impact in the midfield.

Afellay has made a couple of substitute appearances for Barcelona this season before a serious injury.

He tore his ACL in September, ending any interest he may have garnered for the January transfer window, but if he gets back in shape before summer (not a huge stretch), he might again be an attractive option for Spurs.

Pep Guardiola

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Of course, Pep Guardiola isn't a player, he's the manager, but losing him would be big for Barcelona.

At the end of last summer, Guardiola told The Guardian that it's unrealistic to expect him to stick around for a quarter century as Sir Alex Ferguson has done at Manchester United:

I know people say, 'Pep Guardiola is good', but if I missed one year, I'd be fired. It's different. You can have girls falling at your feet when you win. But that can change overnight. I find it hard to imagine one coach at a huge club for 25 years, building one team and then having to bring in new players and create new teams time and again. That is why my admiration [for Ferguson] is unbelievable; because what he has done is so difficult.

However, since then, he dismissed a link to the Chelsea job when Andre Villas-Boas was axed.

It may be another big English club that strikes his fancy: Arsenal may be looking to move Arsene Wenger into a boardroom position, and Guardiola has yet to sign a new contract with Barça.

His current deal expires at the end of the season.