Getty Barcelona forward Trincao
Barcelona confirmed on Sunday that 21-year-old Portuguese forward Francisco Trincao has joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan.
Trincao leaves after just one season at the Camp Nou after joining the club from Braga in a deal worth €31 million. However, the youngster found it tough going in 2020-21 and struggled to make much of an impact.
Barcelona confirmed the move in a statement on the club’s official website.
“FC Barcelona and Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club have reached an agreement on the loan of Francisco Trincão until 30 June 2022. The English club will take responsibility for the player’s licence and the deal includes a non-compulsory option to buy.”
According to Tim Spiers at The Athletic, the purchase option is £25 million (£34m), while Albert Roge at Sport reports that Barcelona B captain Alex Collado will take Trincao’s place in the first-team squad.
Trincao will now be hoping he can go on and enjoy regular football in the Premier League with Wolves. The forward made 43 appearances in all competitions for Barca in his debut season but was mainly used as a substitute.
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Familiar Faces For Trincao at Wolves
Trincao now becomes the latest Portuguese player to sign for Wolves. The club already has the likes of Pedro Neto, Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Fabio Silva, and Ruben Vinagre in the squad. Former Barcelona left-back and Portugal international Nelson Semedo is also at Wolves after leaving the Camp Nou in September 2020.
The new season promises a new-look Wolves with popular manager Nuno Espirito Santo having left after four years in charge of the Black Country side. Former Benfica coach Bruno Lage has take over the role and will be aiming to improve on last season’s 13th placed finish.
Trincao knows Neto well from playing together at childhood club SC Vianense and in the youth team at Braga. The forward has also played with the likes of Patricio, Neves, Semedo, and Joao Moutinho with the Portugal national team.
The Barca youngster has won six caps for his country and was in the Portugal squad with the Wolves quartet for the Nations League matches against Croatia and Sweden in September 2020.
More Departures To Follow?
Trincao’s loan means he becomes the latest player to leave Barcelona as the club’s overhaul continues. Jean-Clair Todibo, Juan Miranda, and Konrad de la Fuente have also sealed exits during the summer.
Back-up left-back Junior Firpo is expected to be the next to leave and is also set to move to the Premier League. The former Real Betis man is expected to complete a permanent transfer to Leeds United for €15 million, plus €3 million in variables, according to Sport.
Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic could follow Firpo out of the club before the start of pre-season. According to Mundo Deportivo, the two players have both been told they can leave for free in a bid to get the duo off the wage bill.
Pjanic, like Trincao, only arrived at Barcelona last summer from Juventus but also struggled for game time in 2020-21 with Sergio Busquets, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong the preferred midfield trio.
Meanwhile, Umtiti has struggled to consistently find his best form since helping France win World Cup 2018, largely because of his continued injury problems which have seen him slip down the pecking order at the Camp Nou.
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