"From Barcelona's perspective, the timing of the move is important, as Mbacke's contract was due to expire at the end of the season, which would have seen him leave on a free transfer. Instead, Barça will now recover part of the investment made in the summer of 2024, when they paid around €2 million to bring him in. This outcome offers a financial boost and, more importantly, creates additional room within La Liga's financial fair play limits."
"For Mbacke, the move is driven by sporting ambition rather than money. This is because his salary in MLS will be broadly similar to what he earned at Barça. Notably, the defender's priority is to play for the Senegal national team and push for a place at next summer's World Cup. Mbacke has never been capped by the senior side, and he believes regular top-flight football in MLS will give him a better platform to achieve that dream than continuing with Barça Atletic."
Mamadou Mbacke will leave Barcelona to sign for St. Louis City SC in Major League Soccer and was omitted from Barça Atletic's recent match against Andratx. Barcelona paid about €2 million to sign him from Los Angeles FC in summer 2024. The transfer lets Barcelona recover part of that investment instead of losing him on a free transfer and creates additional room within La Liga financial fair play limits ahead of the winter window. Mbacke's MLS salary will be broadly similar to his Barcelona pay, and he seeks regular top-flight football to pursue a Senegal senior-team place and World Cup selection.
Read at Barca Universal
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