Below is a list of five players whose careers declined after joining the Blaugrana.
Alex Song
Year signed: 2012
Barcelona appearances: 65
Current club: Free agent
A number of fine performances in the Premier League with Arsenal prompted the Barcelona board to make a move for the Cameroonian, signing the midfielder for around £15m in 2012.
During his two-season stint in La Liga, Song struggled to acclimatise to the high-press and passing exploits of the Barca philosophy, resulting in a loan move back to the Premier League with West Ham United under a completely different footballing style with Sam Allardyce.
Under the auspices of “Big Sam” Song quickly adapted, forming an industrious partnership with Mark Noble in the middle of the park, to help the east London club finish in a respectful 12th position in the 2014-15 Premier League season.
A second loan spell at Upton Park followed, but this time his season was hampered by recurring injury problems, and he slowly fell down the pecking order.
Song has been a free agent since the end of January, having plied his trade in the Russian Premier League with Rubin Kazan for 18 months. Had he stayed in north London, he could still be a focal point of Arsene Wenger’s midfield.
Arda Turan
Year signed: 2015
Barcelona appearances: 55
Current club: Istanbul Basaksehir (on loan from Barcelona)
His transfer to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid was certainly not a smooth transition, as the Catalan club were under a transfer embargo at the time, meaning Turan had to wait six months before he could make his debut for the club.
Having forged a reputation as one of Europe’s most complete and polished attacking midfielders under the tutelage of Diego Simeone, the Turkish forward has since fallen short of expectations in the famous red and blue of Barca.
The 31-year-old never managed to cement a starting position in the Barca XI, making only 14 starts in the 2016-17 campaign for Luis Enrique, with a further four appearances coming from the bench.
Turan’s poor form for the club resulted in a move back to his homeland on loan with Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir in the Super Lig, where he originally made a name for himself while playing for Galatasaray.
He has so far made 11 appearances for the club and despite still be contracted with Barcelona, that may well change this summer.
Douglas
Year signed: 2014
Barcelona appearances: 8
Current club: Sivasspor (on loan from Barcelona)
With Dani Alves reaching his twilight years, Barcelona were perhaps keeping one eye on the future when they signed his Brazilian compatriot and right-back counterpart Douglas.
At 24, Douglas had never left Brazilian soil, appearing for boyhood club Goias for a number of seasons before moving to Brazil’s most populous city with Sao Paulo.
There, Douglas featured heavily for the club, winning the Copa Sudamericana in 2012 and the Eusebio Cup in 2013, and his outstanding performances saw him follow in the footsteps of so many Brazilian greats over the years by moving to La Liga.
Unfortunately for Douglas, he failed to challenge Alves at right-back, and a loan move – along with teammate Halilovic – to Sporting de Gijon followed in the 2016-17 season, but the pair failed to keep the Rojiblancos in La Liga, and the club were relegated.
The 27-year-old spent last season on loan with Benfica, though he only made five league appearances for the Portuguese club. He is on loan once more, now for Turkish side Sivasspor.
Ibrahim Afellay
Year signed: 2011
Barcelona appearances: 35
Current club: Stoke City
Afellay attracted the attention of Barcelona while playing for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie, and after a number of high-profile performances for the Boeren, Pep Guardiola made a move for the midfielder.
During his five seasons at the Camp Nou, the Dutchman could only make 35 appearances in all competitions as loan spells with Schalke 04 and Olympiacos proved unfruitful, after Afellay failed to stake a claim in the Barca XI.
A move to the Premier League followed, and the Utrecht-born midfielder signed with Stoke City. His first season with the Potters was highly successful and the 32-year-old quickly endeared himself to the club’s faithful.
However, Afellay has not been able to replicate his form from that initial campaign, making only a handful of appearances last term.
Last season, the Premier League strugglers recently banished the Dutchman from the dressing room, all but ending his career at the bet365 Stadium.
Andre Gomes
Year signed: 2016
Barcelona appearances: 78
Current club: Barcelona
An impressive couple of seasons with Valencia convinced the powers that be to part with an initial fee of £29.3m for Gomes’ services.
The former Benfica academy graduate had the misfortune of joining Barça’s midfield post-Xavi meaning being scrutinised more than he’s ever known.
A small error whilst donning the white of Los Che would immediately be forgotten, but that’s not the case playing for Barcelona and it’s fair to say the Portuguese international hasn’t reached his full potential.
Whether he’s been overawed is a debate for another day, the reality is Gomes has failed to establish himself as a first-team regular, Luis Enrique used the Grijó-born footballer tentatively and the same with his successor Ernesto Valverde.
Gomes’ days are seemingly numbered, the arrival of Arthur suggests very much so, but an injury sustained in the summer of 2018 is an equivalent of a stay of execution.