BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has spoken without filters about his transfer plans for the summer. Top of his wish list was Lionel Messi and a replacement for the departing Sergio Busquets. However, Messi has already slipped away, announcing his intention to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, and Xavi’s top target to substitute Busquets, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, is, as things stand, out of Barca’s price range at €60 million.
Therefore, it’s back to square one, with the scene set for another frantic summer of ins and outs at the Catalan club.
Last year, Barca sold off club assets — including a percentage of future earnings from television rights — to land the €150m-worth of players Xavi had requested: Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde among others. Even then, they had to wait until the eve of the new campaign to register their new signings.
This year, following a change to LaLiga’s financial fair play rules, they will not be able to replicate that strategy. To comply with the league’s spending limits, they will have to move players on, reduce the wage bill and find new revenue streams if they want to strengthen the team. Xavi has said it is essential that they do so if, after winning a first LaLiga title since 2019 this season, they are to improve in the Champions League, where they have failed to get out of the group stage in the last two years.
So, as rivals Real Madrid are unveiling Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham at a cost of €103m and being linked with €120m-plus moves for Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, sources have told ESPN that Barca are working on various scenarios from best-case to low-cost alternatives and everything in between. It all depends on how much money they can spend. It is not the most effective way to plan for a new campaign and not all…
