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Fatty’s sale is just the beginning
Last week was anything but normal in the corridors of Barcelona, as the Catalan club witnessed a number of decisive moves that confirm the management are racing against time to transform the squad ahead of the start of the new season.
Between the sale of one of La Masia’s most famous graduates, the impending departure of a new star and the club’s loyalty, in addition to their continued pursuit of a world-class striker, Barcelona have outlined their new project in the summer transfer market.
Barcelona have announced the sale of Ansu Fati to Monaco for €11 million, which will see the Catalan club receive 30% of the player’s future transfer fee, club sources said.
Barcelona’s gains are not limited to the financial gains from the sale of La Masia’s academy member, but also include a significant wage cut, giving the administration more room to maneuver in the transfer market.
It seems that Fati will not be the last to leave, as German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is considered the most obvious candidate to leave in the coming days.
And it happened The Athletic newspaper Last week, it became known that “Barcelona” and “Ajax” reached a verbal agreement, requiring the goalkeeper to move to the Dutch club on loan for one season.
New Ajax boss Michel is believed to have played the biggest role in signing the 34-year-old German goalkeeper after working with him on loan at Girona last season.
Sources close to the player confirmed to the newspaper.The Athletic“The completion of the deal requires a few extra days due to continuing negotiations on some personal clauses in the contract, while Barcelona are expected to cover the majority of the goalkeeper’s salary during the loan period.
On the other hand, “Barcelona” settled the case of Danish defender Andreas Christensen, announcing the extension of his contract for two years, confirming his continuation in the ranks of the team.
Alvarez is the first goal… and Kane is in the reckoning
In terms of contracts, Barcelona continue to work on signing a new striker to lead the forward line following Robert Lewandowski’s move to American side Chicago Fire.
Argentine Julian Alvarez remains the first target of the club’s management, although it is aware of the difficulty of completing the deal and its high financial cost.
Barcelona management believe that limiting all options to one player is not an ideal approach, so they have kept the door open to alternatives, with England’s Harry Kane among the names receiving genuine interest.
And that “The AthleticIt was revealed in March last year that Barcelona had Alvarez and Kane at the top of their shortlist to strengthen the front line, while club sources described the inquiry into Kane, 32, as a move to explore the player’s position and the possibility of signing him in the future.
At an event at the Camp Nou last week, club president Joan Laporta confirmed Barcelona’s interest in signing Alvarez, explaining that the club had made a verbal offer to Atletico Madrid but the latter had rejected it due to a lack of suitable alternatives.
“Our offer is still valid, but it won’t stay on the table forever. “Atletico Madrid know we have an offer on the table and if the opportunity arises to discuss it, we will welcome it.”
“If we don’t keep another player, it won’t be a problem because we will still be able to compete. However, strengthening the team will give us more strength, especially in tournaments where small details play a decisive role. Also, the signing of Anthony Gordon gave us additional solutions in more than one position that we were looking to strengthen.”
How much will Barcelona pay to sign Alvarez?
Club sources say the first offer to sign Alvarez was around 100 million euros.
But newspaper”The Athletic“Last week I reported that Barcelona had increased the value of their new offer to around 130 million euros, club sources have confirmed that the administration will not go for an excessive financial offer.
If the Alvarez deal falls through, other options appear limited as Nigerian Victor Osihen does not enjoy consensus in Barcelona’s decision-making circles, despite his name being suggested among the alternatives.
The club is also looking at strengthening the defensive line, but any new deal in this position would involve the departure of one of its current players.
Who is close to leaving?
Midfielder Marc Casado’s name stands out as one of the most popular candidates to leave Barcelona this summer, after suffering a lack of first-team action last season, with no sign of his situation changing next term.
The club are looking for around €30 million for the 22-year-old, while sources close to him have confirmed to The Athletic that he is not averse to exploring offers from the Saudi League.
Swede Ronny Barji is also on the list of players who can leave before the end of the transfer period. Although the 20-year-old showed promise in his first season with the club, Barcelona believe his development requires regular game minutes, so they are not averse to listening to offers made for him, while preferring a loan option to ensure his continued development.
