Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has handed the club a list of eight signings to complete this summer of which two are understood to have already been finalised.
Barca boss Xavi has pledged that the club will return to the level of Europe’s elite in a year from now and while that may sound optimistic, it piles the pressure on club president Joan Laporta. The Catalan club’s well-documented financial problems ensure that transfer fees will not be possible and if they are to recruit in the months to come, a series of player exits will be necessary.
The Blaugrana have kickstarted a busy summer transfer window for the club with the confirmation of two signings – which Mirror Football understands to be Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and Milan’s Franck Kessie. Both players will arrive as free agents this summer following the expiration of their current contracts.
It follows on from a busy January transfer window for the Catalan club who made a quartet of signings to bolster their first-team squad. Veteran Brazilian full-back Dani Alves became the first signing of coach Xavi Hernandez at the Camp Nou. Alves was the first of four January arrivals who have transformed Xavi’s Barcelona, with the new boss backed with strong investment from the board to complete several additional signings. After signing Alves, Barca completed the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City and then secured the loan signing of La Masia graduate Adama Traore from Wolves before clinching the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
A report from Esport now outlines that alongside the imminent announcements of Christensen and Kessie, Barca are working on six other deals which would complete a new-look line-up for next season. Not all players are likely to be signed, but the club are actively looking at the shortlist upon Xavi’s request.
Four of those players have already been strongly linked to the club include Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta and wing-back Marcos Alonso. Both are thought to be open to returning to Spanish football and Xavi believes that both players fit the profile of what he wants this summer. It would complete a trio of defensive arrivals from the Blues following Christensen’s transfer, while Antonio Rudiger has already joined their long-standing rivals Real Madrid.
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Yet their might be more pain for the Blues as Barcelona ’s other key transfer target is Jules Kounde – a long-term target of the West London club. Sevilla have a £68million (€80m) release clause for the Frenchman and following the exit of Diego Carlos to Aston Villa, do not have the urgency to complete a sale quickly – but it remains to be seen if Barca have the economic capacity to land the highly-rated defender.
Despite signing Aubameyang, Torres and (albeit on loan) Traore, Barca are also keen to revolutionise their trio of attackers again. Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is a prime target and is now actively pursuing a move, while Leeds winger Raphinha – who has starred at Elland Road despite their battle against relegation, which they eventually survived, largely thanks to the Brazilian, on the final day.
Perhaps most surprisingly of all, Barca are said to have reopened their interest in Manchester City forward Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese international has re-established himself as a key player in Pep Guardiola’s side – and would surely be the least feasible of their eight summer targets.
Xavi’s potential new Barcelona XI : Ter Stegen; Azpilicueta, Kounde, Christensen, Alonso; Gavi, Pedri, Kessie; Silva, Lewandowski, Raphinha
