Some big decisions await the Blaugranes by the time the summer transfer window arrives. FC Barcelona is a team that continues to suffer from indecisiveness, both on and off the field. While their financial issues have undoubtedly been hard to deal with, the Catalans still need to make an effort.
Consequently, that is exactly what Barcelona president Joan Laporta is now hoping to do. With the club already being aware of the fact that Xavi Hernandez is set to leave at the end of the season, Barcelona do not want to take any chances nor do they want to waste any time in assessing a possible replacement.
Accordingly, as reported by SPORT, Laporta wants to personally gather more information about a certain candidate. Roberto De Zerbi, the current head coach of Brighton in the English Premier League, is the specific option that Laporta wants to assess further.
When it comes to technicians like German coach Hansi Flick, for instance, there is much better general information about his style of management both on and off the field. However, when it comes to De Zerbi, there is very basic information at the disposal of the president.
For now, all the reports on the Italian coach have been positive as per speculation. There is also an understanding that De Zerbi’s brand of football personifies a more modern variation of positional play.
With Barcelona looking to evolve and improve their way of competing, it would perhaps even be a welcome gamble to trust the Italian coach with his new ideas.
However, beyond just the sporting element on the field, there are also the financial aspects to consider. Contracted to Brighton until 2026, De Zerbi would cost €10 million as per his release clause to bring him over to Barcelona. While the sum itself is not too high, it seems that the Catalan giants are not too keen on paying it.
For now, De Zerbi remains a strong candidate to enter the Barcelona ecosystem in the summer. However, he is far from the only one on the list of potential candidates. Hansi Flick, former coach of Bayern Munich, is also in a great position to possibly take over from Xavi Hernandez.
