Why selling Claudio Bravo, despite his heroics, makes sense
It seems like a riddle.
How is selling a goalkeeper that has protected his net so well during the past two seasons that you have won two consecutive league titles good business? But make no mistake, it is.
Claudio Bravo is set to join Manchester City for €25 million.
You can count the number of serious errors he has made while in Catalonia on one hand.
His footwork and compliance with Barcelona's style means he is wanted by Pep Guardiola, which shows he's certainly good enough at that side of the game.
Bravo was signed for just €12 million, so the club are getting more than double what they paid for him. But this isn't really about the money. That's just an added positive for Barcelona.
The goalkeeping situation at the club, which has been in an uneasy truce during the past two years, came to a head this summer, with both goalkeepers demanding to leave if not first choice.
Bravo, you feel, would have been happy to stay if he could guarantee his role as the league goalkeeper for another season. But Ter Stegen's pushing and pressing to play more had its effect and the Chilean felt the winds of change blowing.
It's not like he's being replaced with an amateur though. Ter Stegen, 24, has led Barcelona to two Copa del Reys and the Champions League title. He has no ceiling. He can be the club's goalkeeper for the next decade and beyond.
The footballers aren't just pawns to be moved around, either. The deal has to suit them too. And it does, really.
Bravo becomes the undisputed No 1 at Manchester City and gets a bumper pay rise as the final big contract of his career. Not bad when you're 33-and-a-half.
Ter Stegen, meanwhile, will owe Barcelona. He will know that they made an extremely tough decision because he agitated for it, and they put their faith in him.
They will both end up in good positions. So will Diego Alves, the club's target replacement from Valencia, who may get to taste success for the first time since he moved to Europe in 2011. Joe Hart, however...
