Life goes on at Can Barça. Still recovering from the heavy blow of the death of Dr. Carlos Miñarro, life must go on for the “Culés” (Barça supporters) in the offices and on the playing fields. FC Barcelona suspended their match against Osasuna on matchday 27, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 8, at 9 p.m., due to the death of the doctor that same afternoon at the team’s hotel. When the players heard the news, they asked for the match to be postponed in the face of the heavy blow.
The schedule is tight and there is not much time for mourning at Barça. This Tuesday, at 6:45 p.m., the Catalans will host Benfica in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League. In the first leg, Hansi Flick‘s side took the lead in a tough game. The early sending off of Pau Curbasí forced Barça to play for more than 70 minutes with ten men. Szczesny was key in this exercise, as usual, and Raphinha scored the winning goal.
As for the league, Barça and Osasuna have a period of five days to set a new date for the match. Right now, assuming that within that period Barça will not know, or will know at the last moment, if they are out of one of the three competitions in which they are still alive (La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League), the only feasible option seems to be the last week of the competition. Specifically Wednesday May 21st.
Possible departure of De Jong
Beyond the return to routine in the field, in the offices Deco will also have to get down to work as he has a lot on his plate with the summer market. Barça’s sporting director must keep an eye on several departures to generate fair play, as well as closely following up on several interests in the market and sealing several renewals he has in the pipeline. One of the renewals that is already being actively worked on is that of Frenkie De Jong.
However, the Dutch player keeps having suitors and his departure, which would be interesting for the club’s coffers, cannot be ruled out. The player has resurfaced in recent weeks under Hansi Flick, who wants to keep him, but the temptation of the Premier League, coupled with Barça’s financial needs, could complicate the negotiation.
From the Premier League: Liverpool and Arsenal. The favorite to win the Champions League according to the AI, the Reds would be very interested in signing Frenkie de Jong next summer. It would be a juicy deal for the Catalans, who need to free up salary mass, as the player has one of the highest salaries in the category. Arsenal have joined the bidding for De Jong, who could be looking for a change of scenery, for around €35 million. FC Barcelona would only accept an offer of more than 40 or 50 million euros.
Barça have a replacement for De Jong in mind
Although the Dutchman is likely to remain at Barça, the club is already thinking about possible replacements. In the last few hours, the Barça team has been linked with Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The Canarinho international plays for Newcastle. The 27-year-old player has a contract that runs until June 2028 and this season he has already played 35 official matches in which he has scored 2 goals and made 8 assists. Bruno is also on the agenda of Arsenal and Manchester City.