Ruthless Rijkaard axes five

Barcelona announced a major squad clear-out today by revealing that Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Phillip Cocu, Michael Reiziger and Rustu Recber will leave the club this summer.

The move signals the club’s intention to slash their wage bill, and sporting director Txiki Begiristain now plans to lower the average age of the squad over the coming months.