As officially confirmed before the game against Osasuna, Mateu Alemany will leave Barcelona at the end of the season, stepping aside from his role at the Catalan club. Instead, he will be joining Premier League side Aston Villa and will continue his professional career at the English club.
Before leaving, though, according to Spanish news outlet SPORT, Alemany assured Joan Laporta that he will not sign players from the Catalans as a measure of respect towards the club, where he still has a valid contract until June 30, 2023.
Alemany made a commitment to the president not to touch Xavi Hernández’s squad in favor of his new team, Aston Villa. The Spanish mastermind will become the new sports director of the English club starting next season, which started rumors about possible deals between the two parties in the summer.
One of the discussed options was Ferrán Torres, who couldn’t entirely satisfy at the Catalan capital. The Spanish forward still has a large market in England due to his impressive stint at Manchester City. Another possibility was Ansu Fati, who is another prospect that can leave the Blaugrana in the summer.
Previously, it has been rumored that Laporta and Alemany can sit down and negotiate deals for the players that Barcelona put on the transfer list, such as Ferrán Torres and Ansu Fati, but this secret pact rules out the possibility that either of them will follow Alemany to Birmingham.
