Heading into the next season, FC Barcelona will need to be prepared beforehand. The Catalan club is going to see out the ongoing campaign with possibly a lot of worry and a lack of success. However, beyond just this season, Barcelona want to head into the next season with a clear plan in mind.
For this reason, Deco and the rest of the higher-ups at the club have already devised a proper plan that would allow them to manage both sporting expectations as well as financial management of the budget that they have. Spread across different aspects to focus on, there are three primary ones that Barcelona keep in mind.
According to SPORT, the three areas that Barcelona will focus on in the summer are departures, La Masia, and new arrivals. Deco believes that with their current financial problems, it becomes an impossibility to expect the club to reinforce every single position in the team with external arrivals.
Departures:
In terms of player sales, there could be at least five players who end up leaving the club in the summer. Two natural departures would be Sergi Roberto and Marcos Alonso, both of whose contracts expire in the summer. While there were reports of Roberto possibly staying for next season, it seems that Xavi’s departure rules out that possibility.
Oriol Romeu is another name who looks unlikely to be staying beyond just this season. When it comes to big sales, however, it seems that the potential cases of both Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen are still open. With Bayern already interested in Araujo with a mega offer ready, Barcelona could end up being enticed.
Lastly, even Raphinha remains an option that Barcelona could look to offload. With the eruption of a certain La Masia winger, the Brazilian forward could possibly end up leaving. Liverpool are reportedly a club looking at him as a potential replacement for their own superstar.
La Masia:
Courtesy of the youth academy, Barcelona have managed to stay afloat this season. For next season, as well, the club believes that they have the right assets available to cover important positions in the team. The right-winger position, for instance, is already the property of Lamine Yamal it seems at the tender age of 16.
Moreover, in case Barcelona sells a key defender, Pau Cubarsi is there to ensure he can take over. The young central defender is quite the player, and he knows that he has earned his right to be in the team. Even Hector Fort, a fullback from the subsidiary, is another option who can be a great reinforcement on the flanks.
Even more youngsters await, but they will have to be picked out over time to see which of them becomes the next to make it to the first team. For now, Barcelona already has a strong core of young starlets taking over European football by storm.
Arrivals:
Thus far, in terms of proper names, there are only two that Barcelona have in mind. Both of the Joaos, Felix, and Cancelo, are players that Barcelona permanently want to buy.
However, with Cancelo’s negotiations with Manchester City looking easier than the ones Barcelona will likely have with Atletico Madrid for Felix, it seems that the more likely arrival will be the fullback.
However, beyond just those two, Barcelona believe they need to reinforce other positions. Needing an elite winger and someone in the central defensive regions are also some other priorities on Barça’s agenda.
