FC Barcelona has a new transfer policy according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.
FC Barcelona has a new transfer policy according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.
The Catalans have fallen behind a pack of European heavyweights when it comes to making marquee signings, and are often unable to compete when it comes to landing budding South American talents which often go for fees around the $50 million mark.
Manchester City secured Claudio Echeverri at the turn of 2024, while Champions League quarterfinals foes Paris Saint-Germain beat them to Corinthians midfielder Gabriel Moscardo.
Moscardo is highly-rated across Brazil and the Old Continent, and would have been the perfect long-term heir to Sergio Busquets.
The former Blaugrana captain’s absence is strongly felt by head coach Xavi Hernandez, and Oriol Romeu has struggled to live up to his name amid poor performances that have knocked his confidence while not helped by knee niggles.
Barca still needs somebody in the pivot position, and SPORT explains that the club wants to only carry out “important transfers with a small group of players it considers structural and truly differential”.
A good chunk of an already limited budget will be allocated to finding a man that sits at the base of the midfield, with Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich possibly available this summer.
Xavi wanted the German ahead of the current campaign, but his club’s economic woes meant they had to settle for Romeu instead.
Fast forward a year, however, and Kimmich is refusing to extend a contract with the Bavarians which expires in mid-2025.
This is because of their lack of a head coach to fill Thomas Tuchel’s shoes when he steps down on June 30, and clarity when it comes to a sporting project moving forward.
As is the case with Alphonso Davies, who similarly becomes a free agent at the same time and is wanted by Real Madrid, Bayern might be forced to head to the negotiating table this summer to avoid losing one of their star players for nothing 14 months down the line.
In short, Barca will only make significant investments on “top” players, avoid buying those in the twilight of their careers, and take a punt on young prospects who can be picked up for a few million like Noah Darvich and Mika Faye.
