Nelson Semedo one of seven 'non-transferable' Barcelona players

Barcelona’s club president Josep Bartomeu has made it clear that Nelson Semedo is unavailable for transfer this summer transfer window.

Among the seven players listed by Bartomeu as unable to depart the club this window was Portuguese right back Semedo - which came as something of a surprise to some supporters of the club, particularly after a less than spectacular season for the former Benfica defender.

Indeed, the 26-year old had a disastrous game in the Spanish side’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter final in Lisbon; while this was true of the vast majority of the Barcelona players on the night, Semedo in particular was signalled to have had a poor game, with one journalist saying it was the worst individual display ever seen in the Champions League.

Nevertheless, Bartomeu said Semedo will not be allowed to leave the club this window, alongside Messi, Griezmann, Ter Stegen, Lenglet, De Jong and Dembele.

It has been suggested in Spain that the reason for this is that, despite enduring a season that was less than good, there is a belief that he can do much better and become a more valuable player in the coming years. Ultimately, selling him now would not be the optimal moment.

Semedo arrived at Barcelona in 2017 from Benfica for a fee of 30 million euros.