Defender Marc Bartra could make a U-turn on his decision to leave Barça

Luis Enrique wants Marc Bartra to stay at FC Barcelona. He has not counted on him as a starter in the important games, but he has used the defender since he took charge last summer. The Barça boss has Thomas Vermaelen back and will use Jeremy Mathieu more as a left-back, but Bartra still has a place in his plans. In the case that Bartra does leave, Vermaelen will be used more. And if he has more fitness problems, a new central defender would have to be signed in January. 

Marc Bartra is one of the sporting matters which Barça still have open ahead of the next season. He can leave for 12 million euros because he has not reached 50 appearances over the last two seasons. He only has until June 30 to take a decision, though, as the clause will increase to 50 million in July. Bartra has a lot of doubts, while there are three clubs keen to pay his release clause. His future will be decided in the coming days and Barça are now convinced he will stay. 

Bartra made it clear a few weeks ago that he was thinking about leaving. The central defender was not satisfied with his role and the drop in his release clause had alerted interest from elsewhere. In principle, he had decided to pack his bags. But a phone call from Luis Enrique put the brakes on things. Now, Bartra is more in than out. In any case, there will be a meeting between his agents and the club on Monday with a view to taking a definitive decision on the player's future. 

It's clear that Bartra does not want things to continue as they have been because it's slowing down his progression. Vermaelen's return could even make things worse and next season is an important season because of the European Championships. The Barça academy product has been a regular in Vicente del Bosque's Spain squads. Barça understand his doubts, but are pressuring him to stay, convinced he has a big future. 

In the case that he does decide to leave, the operation would have to be closed quickly. Bartra himself would have to deposit the clause before Tuesday, even though he would rather negotiate an agreement with the Catalan club to leave in a friendly way, as Thiago Alcantara did when he signed for Bayern Munich. Barça can't do anything and must wait for Bartra to communicate his decision. The final solution is just a question of hours away.