5 players available as Barcelona 'desperate to sell' to fund Sterling transfer

It looks set to be a busy January transfer window with Barcelona hopeful of a move to land Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.

New Blaugrana boss Xavi Hernandez has made former teammate Dani Alves his first signing at the club earlier this week.

There are now reports that Sterling headed a three-man shortlist of attacking options for Barca, with Manchester United 's Edinson Cavani and Timo Werner of Chelsea also under consideration.

Despite a host of players leaving the Camp Nou over the summer including Lionel Messi, the Catalan club must sell more first-team players if they are to continue investing in their squad.

We have picked out the five players whose combination of market value, demand and potential availability make them prime candidate for outbound Barca transfers next year.

Frenkie de Jong

The Dutch midfield maestro has been one of the standout Barca players since joining from Ajax in the summer of 2019.

Having helped propel the Dutch club to the Champions League semi-finals, Barca beat off competition from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to land the star for a fee upwards of £75million.

De Jong has bagged nine goals and provided 15 assists for Barca, for whom he has made over 100 appearances but could be available for sale if the club need to cash-in on a star.

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Why? They have upcoming talents Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez in the position, alongside long-term holding midfielder Sergio Busquets.

De Jong has previously admitted his regret in not joining the Premier League.

He has said: "I used to think that La Liga was the strongest football league in the world. You could see their dominance in European Cup competitions.

"The Spanish clubs always progressed a long way and often grabbed the main trophies, the Champions League and Europa League

"But the Premier League has gained power over the last few years.

"When it comes to pure skills, La Liga is better. But because of the sheer intensity, the English competition is at a slightly higher level."

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

Another of Barca's 'golden cows' who, like De Jong, would have been entirely unsellable in previous years but that is no longer the case.

Unlike the Dutchman, goalkeeper Ter Stegen has seen somewhat of a slump in form over the past 18 months; not an alarming decline but a small regression from his world-class status.

The German failed to displace Manuel Neuer for Germany while he has often been exposed at Barca in big Champions League matches, not helped by those in front of him.

A physical presence who commands his penalty area and has excellent distribution, Ter Stegen will have no shortage of suitors.

Ousmane Dembele

French forward Ousmane Dembele is out of contract at Barca next summer and could be available on the cheap in January.

Dembele's future now remains in the balance and he appears increasingly likely to leave the Catalan giants next year, either on a cut-price deal in January or as a free agent next summer.

The 24-year-old has had an injury-hit four seasons at the Blaugrana and their only contract offers thus far have been on reduced terms.

Dembele currently earns a salary in the region of £8.4million per year at the Camp Nou but any offer which would see him stay at the club would need to see a significant reduction on that.

Reports have suggested Newcastle want Dembele and indeed have already made a contract offer which is significantly more lucrative than what Barca can offer.

Dembele has been sidelined by a hamstring issue, having been hampered by a catalogue of injuries since joining Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for £121million in 2017.

A wide forward who is capable of playing on either flank due to his two-footed ability, Dembele is able to utilise his technical ability, speed, and agility to beat opponents and open defences.

Philippe Coutinho

The problems for Philippe Coutinho at Barca have been non-stop since joining from Liverpool for a reported fee of £142million - a record sale for an English club.

Coutinho has started just four matches out of a possible 16 for the Blaugrana this campaign and remains a peripheral figure at the club despite the exit of a series of star players at the club.

The Brazilian is one of the highest earners at the club and above any player, they are prioritising his exit over the next transfer window.

Still a regular with Brazil international squads, Coutinho would still be a player to tempt clubs who could fund such a deal - almost exclusively in the Premier League.

The playmaker starred with Liverpool during his five-year spell with the club and could be returning to the division this year.

Samuel Umtiti

Firmly in the Coutinho bracket of being a high-earner but a peripheral squad figure, Samuel Umtiti's future at the club looks bleak.

Having joined from Lyon in 2016, Umtiti went on to form a formidable defensive partnership with Gerard Pique while he also was a key part in France's World Cup success two years later.

Umtiti then began to suffer continual knee problems and his lack of sustained fitness saw him lose his place both at club and international level to Clement Lenglet.

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He slid further down the pecking order last season with Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza both promoted to the first-team ranks at the Camp Nou after impressing for the club's B team.

Umtiti started just six games across La Liga and the Champions League last season and made just eight further substitute appearances - despite the quota for Barca standing at five available substitutions per match.

His injury and fitness track record may put clubs off his signature but another player who could regain top form elsewhere.