Barcelona is already working behind the scenes, thinking about a summer that looks set to be complicated once again for the Catalans due to a saturated salary cap that leaves no room for anyone else. Hansi Flick’s side has been almost perfect on the pitch, winning three titles: the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the league championship. However, the Champions League has eluded them, and they hope to strengthen the squad and fight for the trophy next season.
Laporta insists on fair play
The FC Barcelona president spoke to Catalunya Radio and RAC1 after winning the league title and discussed fair play and summer signings. “I have always promised that we will fight to the end on these issues. And we will do so again. On the institutional front, we have had to make some very difficult decisions under great pressure. We came from a very bad situation and we have overcome it. We are in a process of economic recovery. We will return to Spotify Camp Nou next season. The work is progressing at a faster pace. In the winter, we renewed players and now in the summer, if we have to make a move to improve the team, we will do so because we are in a position to do so. But we must not forget that we have a competitive team that must be valued,“ said Laporta, adding, ”they will give us the salary cap and, based on that, we will work. The club is not standing still. We are looking at several operations: players who are on loan, seats… For now, we have a 1-1. Now it’s about keeping them at these levels.”
Departures are necessary to make room
Laporta’s words are there, but the truth is that the club has a list of players who need to leave to raise funds and make room to bring in new players. There are up to nine names on the list, starting with goalkeeper Iñaki Peña, right-back Héctor Fort, Fermín, Gavi if necessary, and even De Jong if he does not renew his contract. Finally, there are three young players in a similar situation, as they are not getting any playing time at Barça and the club is looking for a destination for them to continue their development, either in the form of a transfer or a loan. We are talking about Pablo Torre, Pau Víctor, and Ansu Fati.
Tah, a target that Flick is not giving up on
These departures are necessary in order to make a signing that has been long awaited. Jonathan Tah is a center back who Hansi Flick likes, and Barcelona wanted to sign him last summer and has been negotiating with him this year to convince him. Given the problem of registering players, a few weeks ago it was reported that the center back was getting impatient about deciding his future and was tired of waiting for Barcelona’s call, so he has also been negotiating with other teams.
However, according to Sky Germany, Tah is keeping Bayern waiting, as he has not responded positively to their offer due to pressure from Barça. Flick is not giving up on this player, whose contract with Bayer Leverkusen is coming to an end and who would arrive on a free transfer to improve a defense that could see the departure of two players: Christensen and Araújo. He is a big center back with characteristics that the German coach likes a lot. He has been following the player for some time and wants to sign him whenever it is feasible for the club.