Barcelona's Riqui Puig (R) vies with Cornella's Agus Medina during the a Spanish King's Cup 1/16 final soccer match between FC Barcelona and UE Cornella in Cornella, Spain on Jan. 21, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)
FC Barcelona have confirmed that 22-year-old midfielder Riqui Puig has agreed to join MLS outfit Los Angeles Galaxy on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The move ends the midfielder's eight-year relationship with the club he joined in 2014, and a frustrating time in which he was never able to hold down a regular place in Barca's first team.
The deal sees Barcelona maintain a buyback option from the Galaxy and assure themselves of 50 percent of the value of any future sale.
Puig impressed as a junior and in Barca's B-team, where he made 66 appearances before making his first-team debut in the 2018-19 season.
A technically gifted but tactically flawed player, he has been viewed as the natural successor to Andres Iniesta, but in the following years, Puig made just 60 first-team appearances, with the majority of them as a substitute.
Barca are still looking to offload striker Martin Braithwaite this summer, with Celta Vigo mentioned as a possible destination for the Danish international.
