Barcelona might have a harder time shifting Marc Casadó than originally thought, as his expected move to AS Monaco has hit a wall after the club reportedly pulled out of the bidding.
While Italian media recently claimed a deal with Monaco was practically a formality, Mundo Deportivo reports that the Ligue 1 club has entirely ruled out a move for the 22-year-old midfielder. Reportedly, Jorge Mendes, Casadó’s agent, brought up the player’s name while negotiating Ansu Fati’s transfer to the Principality,
but Monaco executives just listened to the pitch without any intention of entering the bidding.
This leaves the academy graduate in limbo since he clearly does not fit into Hansi Flick’s plans, this after rumors from Italy suggested advanced discussions were happening, with a figure reported around 20 million euros, leading some outlets to report that Monaco was ready to pay up immediately. But reports from Barcelona consistently noted that no official paperwork had ever actually arrived, even though the board wants a sale to help clear up financial fair play room.
The youngster had a really turbulent campaign, making 34 appearances across multiple tournaments but mostly getting limited to brief, late-game cameos. That lack of regular action ultimately cost him his spot with the Spanish national team and left his career stalled in Catalonia. With Gavi and Marc Bernal recovering well from major knee operations, and the Catalan club tracking free agent Bernardo Silva, Casadó has dropped to a pure backup option in the midfield rotation.
The player has previously made his feelings clear on his future, declaring, “Whenever there is the possibility of wearing this shirt and this crest, it will be my priority.”
But Barcelona still needs to get creative with their wage bill, so a departure remains the most likely outcome. Monaco pulling out narrows down his immediate choices, but Mendes is still working the market to find an alternative landing spot. Atlético Madrid looked into his availability early on, and a few English and German sides are monitoring his status from a distance, too. Wealthy clubs in Saudi Arabia are also still an option if he decides to leave European football entirely.
