After having announced his planned departure from FC Barcelona, Mateu Alemany is now surprisingly expected to remain associated with the club for some more years ahead. However, Jordi Cruyff’s departure has now been confirmed, and his potential replacement, Deco, will be working in his stead.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, these two executives have already started working together to prepare for the next season. There was a meeting between the Director of Football and the to-be Sporting Director on Wednesday, in which different matters at hand were discussed.
The major points of discussion were:
1: New Signings:
The club is undertaking a number of operations for new incoming players. For instance, Inigo Martinez has already given his green light for a transfer to Barcelona, Gundogan is also willing to come with a lower salary, Amrabat also wants to be a part of the Catalan club, Zubimendi’s price is too high for the club, and attracting Kimmich from Bayern Munich would require a major effort from the club.
2: Contract Renewals:
The club has to complete the renewal operations for several of their important players. Agreements with Gavi, Araujo, Robeto, Alonso, and Pena have already been reached, but their updated contracts have to be registered with La Liga. Similarly, the club also has to sort out the renewals of Alejandro Balde and Ousmane Dembele.
3: Players on Loan:
The club currently has seven of its players on loan, and most of these are expected to leave, either on loan or permanently. Abde is the only one who can be a part of the Barcelona squad next season.
Regarding other players, Tottenham are interested in Lenglet and Union Berlin in Dest. Umtiti is finding his next destination, while Nico’s future at Valencia is uncertain.
4: Wage Reduction:
FC Barcelona would have to reduce their wage bill to conform to their feasibility plan for the next season. In this regard, the club has already gotten in contact with the highest earners, including Ter Stegen, de Jong, and Alba, but this task seems quite difficult at this stage.
5: Player Sales:
The Catalans need to generate around €100 million in order to adjust to Financial Fair Play rules. Several players have already been identified to be up for sale, including Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and Raphinha. Still, Deco’s input will now have to be taken into account before selling one of these.
6: Messi’s Return:
Getting Messi back to FC Barcelona is one of the major objectives for the club this transfer window. However, before proceeding with this operation, the club would have to get the green light from La Liga.
Thus, Alemany and the to-be arriving Deco already have their work cut out for them at the club. Hopefully, the two would be able to work together to bring the club back to its rightful heights in the realm of European football.
