Barcelona Transfers: 6 Players They're Better off Selling in January

With Barcelona players making up two of the first three places in this years FIFA Ballon D'or presentation, it's clear the current crop of players are some of the finest in history.

Barcelona are surely the favourites for both La Liga and the Champions League this season, but like any other team, they have to sell now and again in order to stay financially afloat.

I will take a look at some of Barcelona's players that the club might be better off selling in January.

The names aren't going to please everybody, but that's what B/R is about—opinion.

Here's mine.

David Villa

Barcelona signed striker David Villa in 2010 for £34.2 million, and his time at the Nou Camp has been successful thus far.

However, Villa sustained a broken shin in a Club World Cup match in December, which will keep him out of action until approximately May.

At 31, Villa's performances will likely begin to decline along with his value to the club. And, who knows how this latest injury will affect him?

Barcelona still have Lionel Messi, Pedro and Alexis Sanchez as striking options, and manager Pep Guardiola seems to prefer using Cesc Fabregas in a more attacking role than he was used to playing at Arsenal.

Simply put, Barcelona don't need Villa, and there are Premier League parties interested.

Jose Pinto

After 11 league appearances in 5 years at the Nou Camp, Barcelona could be forgiven for saying goodbye to 36-year old goalkeeper Jose Pinto.

A player who managed to get sent off from the bench is not the type of character that a football club needs in order to be successful.

Regular Barcelona number one, Victor Valdes, is only 29 years old. So, Pinto is unlikely to ever displace him as the first-choice option.

Seydou Keita

Seydou Keita has already been linked with a move away from the Nou Camp this season.a

And, since he is 31, Barcelona might decide that the time is right to cash in on the Malian International.

It's not always a question of selling a player when their performances begin to drop, it's also a question of having an interested party.

In Keita's case, Liverpool could provide that interest.

Eric Abidal

Eric Abidal is another player who has already been linked with a move away from the Nou Camp this season, as the left back turns 33 in September.

Abidal is enjoying his fifth season with Barcelona, but age is beginning to get the better of him.

His performances still merit a first team birth for Barcelona; but if they ever want to get any money from a sale, now is the time to make a deal.

Arsenal are the club apparently weighing up a move.

Alexandre Hleb

It seems as if nobody wants Alexandre Hleb these days—least of all, Barcelona.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been featured only 19 times in La Liga since his 2008 move, and he has since been loaned out to VfB Stuttgart, Birmingham City and VfL Wolfsburg, respectively.

It seems unlikely that Hleb will ever play for Barcelona ever again, and Guardiola would do well to sell Hleb before his contract expires and he leaves for nothing.

Javier Mascherano

There was widespread speculation that Javier Mascherano would leave Barcelona in the summer of 2011 after failing to hold down a regular first team spot.

Whilst that move never materialised, Mascherano is still playing second fiddle to Sergio Busquets when it comes to being the first choice defensive midfielder.

The Argentinean cost the Catalan club close to £25 million, which makes him an expensive bench warmer when everyone is fit.

Thoughts and Considerations...

Being asked to name six players that Barcelona were better off without in January was a tough question, largely because Pep Guardiola trimmed the fat so well before the start of the season.

Guardiola dispensed with the services of Gabriel Milito and Victor Sanchez, as well as selling Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Bojan, Jeffren Suarez and Martin Caceres in the summer window of 2011.

He has promoted from the youth team and brought in Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez for the current campaign, which seems to be all working out so far.

People will surely disagree with some of the players I've named, but I've tried to take the stand point of "Who are they better off selling in JANUARY?" rather than "Who are they better off selling period?"

Some deals are just the right ones for the club, and fans can find it difficult to see the right moves for the club when the players in question have been fantastic servants for so long.

Thanks for reading and click here to see some great Miroslav Klose goals.

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