Barcelona still desperate to offload midfielder despite missing transfer deadline

FC Barcelona appeared to be on the way to massively unsuccessful summer transfer window as the deadline approached last Tuesday. However, they were able to pull off some fantastic cost-cutting manoeuvres via the loan of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid and the sales of both Ilaix Moriba to RB Leipzig and Emerson Royal to Tottenham Hotspur. Now, despite the end of the transfer window, Barcelona are still hoping to offload Miralem Pjanic to a Russian club.

The Russian market is still open, and the Catalan giants are still hoping that one of their top earners can find a new home further east. The focus on Russia comes after an unsuccessful attempt to sell the Bosnian back to former club Juventus.

The comeback deal never happened, after the Serie A side refused to match Barcelona's valuation of the player, even with the Blaugrana showing willingness to pay part of the player's salary.

Now that the transfer window has closed throughout most of Europe, Marca reports that Barcelona is looking for interested clubs in Russia. The player himself won't be too keen on leaving La Liga and Europe's top four leagues. However, he must choose between a less prestigious club which can guarantee game time, or another season at the Camp Nou bench.

Manager Ronald Koeman has already deemed him as surplus to requirements, and just like the other high earners in the club, he might be asked to agree to a massive pay cut if he stays. The club's four captains have all been approached about salary adjustments, and they have all agreed separate terms in order to help alleviate the club's financial crisis.

With Atletico Madrid taking Antoine Griezmann off Barcelona's wage bill, they are now able to have a bit more breathing room. However, they still have a long way to go before they can write off 1.3 billion euros of debt. Pjanic's sale will help the club moving forward, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to pull off a transfer in the coming weeks.