Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite has reportedly agreed to terminate his contract with the Catalan giants.
The Denmark international arrived at Camp Nou in February 2020 as an emergency signing following injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
Barcelona paid £16.2m to sign Braithwaite from Leganes two years ago, but the 31-year-old has been unable to become a regular part of Xavi's plans in Catalonia.
Braithwaite has managed to register 10 goals and five assists in 58 outings for La Blaugrana in all tournaments but only made five appearances for the club in the 2021-22 season.
The former Middlesbrough man is yet to pull on the Barca shirt for a competitive fixture this term, with a plethora of attackers currently ahead of him in the pecking order.
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As a result, Barcelona have been working to try to terminate the striker's contract and free up space in their budget, and his deal is currently due to run until the end of the 2023-24 season.
However, reports emerged of Braithwaite refusing to leave Barcelona without a significant severance package, and he was booed by Blaugrana fans ahead of their 6-0 Joan Gamper Trophy win over Pumas earlier this month.
Now, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Braithwaite and Barcelona have now come to an agreement over a contract termination, but it will not be made official before Thursday.
Romano adds that Braithwaite will also make a decision on his next club within the next 24 hours, as he prepares to leave Barcelona having won one Copa del Rey title during his ill-fated stay.
Barcelona currently have Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay battling for the striker's spot at Camp Nou, although the latter's future has also been called into question this summer.
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Rumoured suitors Juventus are running out of time to strike a deal for the Dutchman, though, while Aubameyang has been persistently linked with a move to Chelsea after losing his place to Lewandowski.
The two clubs are said to be in advanced negotiations over a deal for the ex-Arsenal man, who suffered a fractured jaw during a burglary at his Catalonia home on Sunday night, during which his family were also threatened.
Aubameyang admitted after the incident that he no longer felt safe in his home, posting on social media: "Hey guys, thanks a lot for all the messages. On Sunday night, some violent cowards broke into our home and threatened my family and my children, just to steal some stuff.
"They injured my jaw but I will recover in no time. The feeling that we are no longer safe in our own home is hard to understand and describe, but as a family we will overcome this and stand stronger than ever."
Lewandowski scored his third and fourth Barca goals in Sunday's 4-0 win over Real Valladolid as Xavi's side continue their La Liga campaign away to Sevilla on Saturday night.
Ben Knapton
