Barcelona finally offload Brazilian attacker who didn't play a single game after signing for €4.5 million in 2020: Reports

Barcelona has waved goodbye to Brazilian forward Gustavo Maia, a player who never stepped foot on the pitch for the main squad after a €4.5m deal in 2020.

The Catalan giants, known for their astute acquisitions from South America, with legends like Neymar Jr elevating to world-class stature from Santos, sometimes miss the mark, and Maia's case could be the epitome of such misses.

Barca's enthusiastic dive into the Sao Paolo market in 2020 saw them return with Maia, one of the final signatures under President Josep Maria Bartomeu. Hopes were sky-high, and expectations even more so. However, the Brazilian's integration into Catalan football seemed like a square peg in a round hole.

His journey from the iconic Camp Nou was riddled with loan stints. Although Internacional and Valencia welcomed the forward, hoping to find a diamond in the rough, even amidst new pastures, Maia struggled to shine.

His record: A total of eight matches for Barca's B team, a dozen appearances for Internacional, and another dozen for Valencia's B squad. Numbers that, sadly, did not scream of the brilliance that Barcelona had once hoped for, and now, according to Football Espana, he has left the club.

The player has found new beginnings with Vila Nova, a squad in Brazil's second-tier league. The financial intricacies of this transfer remain under wraps, and it is uncertain if there was a transfer fee involved.

The Blaugrana are stepping on the accelerator, orchestrating moves to get their finances in check in accordance with the Financial Fair Play (FFP) stipulations. According to Mundo Deportivo (via BarcaUniversal), the club expects to make the announcement of Nico Gonzalez's and Alex Collado's departures in a matter of days.

Nico Gonzalez is