Laporta talks Lewandowski, Joao Felix, Cancelo, Roque, Christensen, La Masia, transfer plans

Following a busy few months that saw Barcelona sacking Xavi Hernandez and hiring Hansi Flick as the new manager, the club’s President Joan Laporta, in a recent interview, gave reason behind some of the key decisions.

Laporta also offered his two cents on various other topics that dominate the Barcelona circles right now.

Laporta on Lewandowski

First and foremost, Laporta talked about the quality of the squad and how new coach Flick can best utilise it. He specifically mentioned Lewandowski.

“We have very quality players. Frenkie, Gundo, Joaos and Lewandowski. Flick will get the most out of a player of Lewandowski’s quality, he scored 26 goals when he won the League, this year almost 20, a total of 26, a scorer from whom you can get a lot out of,” he said.

Laporta notably went on to reveal that Lewandowski has rejected offers from Saudi Arabia in order to continue at Barcelona. This checks out with some of the reports that came out earlier in the year.

“He is motivated, he has said no to offers from Arabia and he did not want to leave because he is comfortable in the country. Flick has to understand this to get the most out of it,” he said.

Talking about the rest of the squad, Laporta added, “We also have Kounde, who has had an extraordinary season. We have Inigo Martinez. We have Balde and Gavi back. We have Sergi Roberto. The intention is to keep them all and it is also Flick’s intention.” 

Laporta on Vitor Roque and two Joaos

Laporta was asked about the future of Vitor Roque, who has found himself in a sticky situation after joining Barcelona in January.

Laporta pointed out that the Brazilian was supposed to join in the summer, but did not give out much information in regards to his future.

“Vitor Roque was scheduled to come at the end of the season and already knows the environment. I think they will all remain, except for some who are out because their contract ends or because they have asked to leave. We also have those returning from loan. I leave the planning in the hands of Deco and Flick,” he said.

When asked about Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix, Laporta revealed that Barcelona would like both players to stay at Camp Nou.

“We want the Joaos to continue. Deco is working to ensure that they continue another season in the current conditions. Flick considers that they are high-quality players and when he coached Bayern he already tried to incorporate Joao Felix,” he said.

“I think that Felix could have performed better because he has extraordinary quality,”  he added.

Laporta on La Masia, new signings

The highlight of the interview saw Laporta talk about Barcelona’s potential transfer strategy for the summer ahead.

The Barcelona president hinted that a big-money sale is not necessarily required while also stressing the importance of signing a new defensive midfielder. He did, however, acknowledge the contributions of Andreas Christensen.

“We are studying the positions to be reinforced with Flick. In the pivot, with Christensen, the team took on another dimension, but it is a position in which another player may need to join,” he revealed.

“In the quarry, we have Marc Casado, who has had an extraordinary season. We’re not talking about players, we’re talking about positions,” he added.

Casado is indeed one of many La Masia starlets who are hoping to earn professional breakthroughs in the coming season.

During his interview, Laporta admitted the importance of La Masia in Barcelona’s long-term project, stating, “We have a jewel in the form of La Masia.“

Finally, Laporta added that Barcelona have increased income, which could negate the requirement of a big-money sale.

“It is not necessary to make a big sale. We have increased our income. We are close to resolving a situation that gave us fair play last year,” he said.

Laporta also offered an update on the potential new deal with Nike, claiming it will be the best in the market.

“We are in negotiations for a contract that will be the best on the market in kit sponsorship. We are doing all this simultaneously with the Spotify Camp Nou works. That is why I value the partner’s attitude more and more,” he concluded.

Source: Diario SPORT