Barcelona unable to find buyers for 30-year-old due to his wage demands

Barcelona are ready to offload Martin Braithwaite. However, his exorbitant salary is becoming a stumbling block in finding potential suitors, according to Spanish news outlet Sport.

The Dane has struggled to find regular game time since returning from a lengthy injury spell and is open to leaving the Camp Nou for greener pastures. His contract with the club runs till 2024, and he takes home an annual salary of €4 million, which is too expensive for interested parties like Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Premier League side have been eyeing him for some time now but might not be able to pay that salary. West Ham United, Burnley and Norwich City are also reportedly interested in Braithwaite.

The Dane started his 2021-22 campaign brightly, scoring twice in the Blaugrana's 4-2 opening-day victory against Real Sociedad, and making three consecutive starts. Things were looking on the up when the 30-year-old sustained a knee injury that sidelined him for nearly four months.

Since recovering in mid-January, he has played just ten minutes in La Liga - in the 4-0 win over Osasuna - and another 12 in the Copa Del Rey against Athletic Bilbao.

Braithwaite also spoke with manager Xavi over a possible winter transfer, with the Barcelona coach telling the player that he wasn't in his plans. However, the Dane ended up remaining in Catalonia, so the club must now seek a solution in the summer.

Martin Braithwaite among Barcelona's worst January signings ever?

Braithwaite's transfer to Barcelona was a controversial one, as the Blaugrana were granted an emergency exception to sign him outside the transfer window due to Ousmane Dembele's injury.

Arriving for €18 million from Leganes, Braithwaite was touted as a strange signing, as many thought the player wasn't even a prolific goalscorer to begin with. His spells at Middlesbrough, Bordeaux and Leganes yielded only 22 goals from 88 games.

At Barcelona, the striker's record has hardly been any better, netting only ten times in 58 games across competitions, including just five in 44 La Liga outings.

He was never anything more than a bit-part player even when fit. Braithwaite is now spending what's possibly his last few games at the club on the bench. Barcelona have made quite a few eyebrow-raising acquisitions in the past, but Braithwaite's ranks somewhere near the top.