As do most top European clubs, FC Barcelona have a strict understanding of the players they believe to be crucial heading into the upcoming season under the tutelage of Xavi Hernandez and those that are not in the plans of the coach or his image of the new Barcelona.
Resultantly, there will always be those that the club considers non-transferable even if they receive offers beyond their actual numerical market value, as the actual value of such players goes beyond monetary figures and they themselves symbolize something much more than simply being a player.
Talking to Esports 3 regarding Barca’s economic situation in recent times and the dire need to generate funds, stating that last year they were worse off than they are this year, Barcelona president Joan Laporta explicitly named a handful of players that the club received significant offers for, as per the president, yet decided to dismiss all offers for those select few “untouchables”.
As highlighted by Spanish outlet SPORT, the following five players are the ones that Laporta has hinted to be ‘untouchable’ in terms of potential transfers:
Frenkie De Jong
First and foremost comes the blockbuster name of Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who Laporta confirmed attracted a massive €100 million offer last season from a top European side.
Despite the understandably massive offer, one that came at a time of desperation for Barcelona, the Catalan club ended up rejecting the offer and decided to continue with the Dutch midfielder. Moreover, the president acknowledges that the club made the right choice for one of their future pillars.
Pedri
Another name that reportedly attracted major European interest was that of Barcelona Golden Boy Pedri. Currently valued at €100 million exact by Transfermarkt, the player is one of those global talents that teams from across the footballing elites would be thrilled to have the opportunity to sign.
However, the player remains a central piece in the vision of Xavi Hernandez, and his style of play coupled with his unreal technical and awareness-based prowess make him the ideal Barcelona midfielder and one set to stay for years to come.
Ronald Araujo
Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo is next on the list of players Joan Laporta has reportedly concluded as being untouchables.
The defender, valued at €70 million, is one of the absolute strongholds of the Barcelona defense and it is much thanks to his brilliance and defensive contributions that the Catalan club was able to remain as defensively rigid as their record states this season. He is understandably one of the pillars of the club going forward.
Andreas Christensen
Despite being a relatively new arrival from Chelsea, having just had a singular season with La Blaugrana, Danish central defender Andreas Christensen has already turned heads with his spectacular first season with FC Barcelona.
While he arrived on a free and all revenue generated from a possible sale would count as net profit for Barcelona, he remains untouchable simply because of his defensive abilities being combined with the perfect blend of technical quality and awareness that FC Barcelona values ever so dearly, coupled with the brilliance he has shown in the system of Xavi Hernandez.
Ansu Fati
All the names on this list made sense in relation to their security at Barcelona, but the last one referencing a certain Spanish forward comes as bit of a shock given recent reports. Ansu Fati, 20-year-old winger and the current owner of the fabled number 10 shirt, is the last of those untouchables as per SPORT.
A season of disturbances and inconsistencies plagued Fati, yet he still managed to finish as the second highest scorer for the club behind the legendary Robert Lewandowski. It remains to be seen how long it takes before a new offer for Fati is received or dealt with, because from being untouchable a season ago to now becoming a valuable asset to profit from, a lot is yet to be decided.
