That time of the season has arrived when teams begin to trade players. It is time to renew the team where necessary or ensure the continuity of players who have proven themselves indispensable. In the case of Barça, the club’s priority is to keep the team together and reduce the payroll before signing new players. The Azulgrana team has been fortunate that, at its worst financially speaking, a great generation of youth players has come to the fore to make the team more than competitive.
A very tight salary cap
Barça has been playing with fire for several seasons with the configuration of its squad. LaLiga has already warned that the Azulgrana team has exceeded its salary cap. Last January, while the Azulgrana team was trying to sign Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, the CSD issued a precautionary measure, and the financial situation has not changed radically, so another austere summer is expected at Can Barça.
Laporta plays down the issue. “Fair play is determined by LaLiga at the end of the season depending on budgets. We will bring in €950 million this year. Next season, the budget will exceed €1 billion. We are confident that we will be at 1:1. This makes it much easier for Deco to work,“ said the Barça president. He also added that ”last season we closed with positive results and that helped us a lot. Above all, it is easier for Deco to work with 1-1 than with 1-4.”
Operation exit
Despite Joan Laporta’s words, Barça does have in mind several departures that will clear salary mass and give the team more room to sign the desired left winger and close some of the pending renewals. Names such as Ansu Fati, Iñaki Peña, Pablo Torre, and even Pau Víctor stand out in this chapter.
- Ansu Fati: Ansu Fati’s situation at Barça has become untenable. The young footballer has been ostracised, playing less than 400 minutes and being left out of the squad on several occasions throughout the season. His departure has been clear for months, but in recent days one destination has gained momentum, and that is none other than Monaco. The deal is being considered as a loan with an option to buy. In this regard, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that negotiations between the clubs are progressing with a transfer fee of less than $20 million but with a significant buy-back clause that would give Barcelona substantial advantages.
- Iñaki Peña: The Spanish goalkeeper has not had an easy season with Barça, finding himself relegated to the bench with the arrival of Szczesny. The player knows that there are LaLiga clubs such as Celta that have shown interest in signing him, and Peña believes that the best solution for him is a change of scenery. Barça are willing to facilitate his departure as he still has a contract in place.
- Pablo Torre: Although he started the year as an important player, he has only played 421 minutes in all competitions. Torre is prioritizing a transfer that includes, perhaps, a buy-back option for Barça in the future, as the Catalan club believes in the potential of a player who, however, has no place in the overcrowded midfield.
- Pau Víctor: The young striker has spent the season condemned to playing in the shadow of players such as Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and Dani Olmo, who have been chosen by Flick to lead the Barça attack. A few days ago, the player hinted at his future, showing ambition in terms of the minutes he wanted to play. The player has a number of suitors and is awaiting talks with the club to decide his future. In recent hours, the striker said after the Catalonia-Costa Rica game that “I’m living a dream, but players have to be ambitious and right now I don’t know what will happen.”