Barcelona have cancelled the contract of midfielder Sergi Samper amid reports of an impending link-up with Andres Iniesta at Japanese side Vissel Kobe. The Spaniard’s time at the Camp Nou has come to an end, with the gifted midfielder widely expected to join his old colleague in Japan. Samper, 24, leaves Barca after never really living up to his early promise, having been highly rated when coming through their La Masia academy.
A technically gifted midfielder, Samper was initially seen as the long-term successor to Sergio Busquets and was handed his senior debut in September 2014, appearing against APOEL in the Champions League. He had to wait until March 2016 for his La Liga debut, and loan spells with Granada and Las Palmas followed but neither move went to plan, with both clubs suffering relegation from the top flight, and his development was hampered by injuries , particularly at Las Palmas.
Samper ends his Camp Nou career with a record of just 14 first team appearances in total, during an era which Barca were gifted with a plethora of world-class midfield talent. Reports in Spain claim Samper is expected to join his former Barca team-mate Iniesta at Vissel Kobe. The 34-year-old playmaker moved to Japan in 2018 and has since managed to rack up 16 appearances for the J1 league club.
Meanwhile, This March saw the 242nd competitive Clasico as Real Madrid and Barcelona faced off at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barca continued their recent dominance, following up their 4-1 aggregate victory over Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey with a narrow 1-0 win. The result follows Barca’s 5-1 win at Camp Nou earlier in the season and Real have been left reeling by the gap that has opened up between the sides.
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The overall head-to-head record of meetings between the teams has been extremely tight and Barca’s recent win puts them ahead of Los Blancos on 96 wins to 95 overall. In La Liga, Barca have won 13 of the Clasicos played since Guardiola’s appointment, drawing four and losing four. They also won the 2010-11 Champions League semi-final, which was the first time the clubs have met in the UEFA Champions League competition since 2002.
Samper did not feature in any of the El Clasicos, although the midfielder is expected to confirm his next move at a news conference on Tuesday. Barcelona may grant the Spaniard one last hurray as they prepare for the Supercopa de Catalunya final against Girona later in the week