July 12, (THEWILL) – A cash-strapped Barcelona still trying to navigate the financial burden it currently bears and staring a potential loss of superstar Lionel Messi in the face of the constraints of La Liga’s spending limits, are hampered from transacting several transfer businesses that can strengthen their squad.
That is why even if the Catalan giants remain interested in a summer move for Lille star Renato Sanches, who played a crucial role in helping the Ligue 1 side wrest the title from Paris Saint-Germain, their purse may deny them the opportunity of bringing the Portuguese player to Camp Nou.
THEWILL believes it will be to their advantage to get a player of Sanches’ talents to fill in the vacuum created by the absence of iconic midfielders of Barca’s golden age like Xavier Hernandez Creus, known as Xavi, and Andres Iniesta and the aging stars like Sergio Busquets.
Sanches turned in a complete midfielder display last season to render the 23-year-old an attractive prospect and the heightened interests from elite clubs across Europe is evidence that he is a hot property who will not remain available in the transfer market for very long.
Joan Laporta, President of the La Liga side is doing his utmost to shore up areas that are deficient in the squad without spending too much and have shown preference for quality players on free transfers. Hence, a €35m deal to get the Portuguese may be a steep hill for Barca to mount and may see some other club snap up Sanches instead.
As much as team coach Ronald Koeman may have wanted to bring Sanches in, the potential move has been stymied by the constraints of Barca’s financial position with Messi’s contract still very much the most significant focal point.
In the managerial department, however, Barca is set to extend Koeman’s contract to give the Dutch manager a sense of balance and remove all job security uncertainties ahead of the new season. It was the outcome of key talks between Koeman and Laporta to extend his stay at Camp Nou to 2024.
It is expected of the manager to demonstrate a better hang of the team now than when he took over at La Blaugrana on August 19, last year, for what was an initial two-year contract. The disappointing end to last season, where poor results allowed the domestic title slip from their possible grasp will not be expected to recur.
The inclusions made to the squad under the tight financial operating system presently in place will be Koeman’s responsibility to turn into good results but they will have to contend with current champions Atletico Madrid, who have been busy on their own, with not as much of a financial worry as Barca.
On Monday, Atletico confirmed their first transfer business of the summer. They added to the quality of their side Messi’s compatriot, the midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, fresh off the exploits of winning the Copa America in company of the Barca star.
He will contribute to Atletico’s defense of their title next season, the form of their Copa America success that saw him score in the Quarter-finals and crown off his contributions with an assist for the winning Angel di Maria goal in his man of the match performance of the final game.
That kind of threat THEWILL believes is what Barca will have to take with the utmost seriousness if they have any ambitions in effectively contending for the title in the 2021/2022 campaign. They must begin with resolving the messy Messi contract and find the means to get players like Sanches.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
