SETTABLOID

In a season of ups and down, FC Barcelona had little to no luck in finding consistency. There were moments of brilliance, and even phases of hope, but nothing seemed eternal. Despite all these fleeting positive notes, there was one end in particular where Barcelona finally managed to find joy.

Even as the Catalan giants faced their economic hurdles head on, they saw one specific breed of players keep their overall squad value up. These players, all five of them, come from the well-renowned walls of La Masia and their emergence has helped Barcelona retain and improve upon their squad value.

As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, the five names to thank for this are Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Hector Fort, and Marc Guiu. Due to the sensational emergence of all five, albeit to different extents, has resulted in a big boost to the valuation of this FC Barcelona team.

All in all, combining the increase in value of all five players this season, they have provided an overall boost of €99.7 million to the team’s valuation. That mean that around €100 million has been added to the valuation by academy students themselves.

Lamine Yamal, aged just 16, has seen his value surge from €25 million to €75 million. Arguably the standout starlet from even this talented bunch, he has already become an absolute favorite for the Catalan giants and even among the Barcelona fanbase.

Then comes Pau Cubarsi, a central defender who has taken European football by storm at the tender age of 17. His distribution and defensive pedigree are both remarkable, and his valuation has consequently seen a surge from €1.5 million directly to €25 million.

Fermin Lopez is the next name on the list, who has seen his value increase from a mere €300,000 to his new valuation of €15 million. A player for the big occasions, he has taken the limited opportunities that he has received and cemented himself as a necessity for Barcelona next season as well.

The last two on the list are Hector Fort and Marc Guiu, with them having seen their respective values of €1 million and €2.5 million increase to €7 million each. The fullback and the striker have both had occasional cameos for the team but have proven their mettle within those few chances.

In recent years, Barcelona have churned through several names on the market in their bid to reinforce the squad.

Due to the financial crunch, Barça have paid special heed to hidden gems across Spain, which is why they have been linked with moves for players such as Aleix Garcia.

Barcelona had Juanlu’s name on the table

Similarly, Barcelona had also considered the possibility of signing another Spanish talent in the form of Juanlu Sanchez, reports Mundo Deportivo.

As per the report, Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, had once considered the idea of signing the young right-back, who currently plies his trade for Sevilla.

A product of the Sevilla youth academy, Juanlu has enjoyed a breakthrough in the first team under Jose Luis Mendilibar. He has featured in 23 league matches for Los Nervionenses this season.

Why did Barcelona opt out?

Despite their interest, Barcelona ruled out the possibility of signing Juanlu after carefully studying and analysing the player’s profile.

This is hardly a surprise as Juanlu has lost his prominence in the Sevilla first-team under Quique Sanchez Flores.

Out of the ten starts Juanlu has made this season, only one of them have come since the turn of the year, which is an indicator of his dissipating influence in the first team.

Juanlu, who has a contract at Sevilla until 2026, has a release clause of €15 million, which makes him an affordable target for Barça.

However, with Juanlu struggling with lack of game-time, the Catalans are unlikely to make any move for the right-back anytime soon.

Barcelona, though, are looking for an answer in the right-back position, especially with uncertainty brewing over the future of Joao Cancelo.

Earlier today, FC Barcelona announced the contract renewal of teenage defensive prodigy Pau Cubarsi until the summer of 2027.

As part of the new deal, the 17-year-old centre-back will also receive improved wages and his release clause amount has now risen to €500 million.

With the futures of Gavi, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and Alejandro Balde all secured, the contract extension of Cubarsi is another step in the direction of Barça shielding the long-term core of the team.

With Cubarsi’s renewal now done, the Catalans are working to secure the futures of a few more young talents, one of whom happens to be Hector Fort.

Negotiations in the initial phase

Providing an update on the contract situation of Fort, SPORT reports that the negotiations for the 17-year-old defender’s renewal are still in the initial phase.

Much like Cubarsi, Fort has enjoyed his breakthrough season in 2023/24 and is already seen as a long-term first-team star.

The 17-year-old versatile prospect has proven himself capable of playing both at right-back and left-back and appears set to have a first-team spot for next season.

The fact that he remains in the senior setup’s dynamics at a point when Barça Atletic are battling for promotion indicates as much.

Xavi’s continuity could guarantee Fort’s renewal

As has been reported previously, Xavi’s continuity as the manager of Barcelona is likely to guarantee Fort’s renewal.

With the 44-year-old club legend at the helm, the teenage full-back knows that he will get regular opportunities in the senior setup next season and can flourish.

Only last week, we reported that Deco had met with Fort’s agent to discuss the matter of his new deal and even though things are in the early stages, it is expected that the progress will be smooth.

In a huge update, journalist Gaston Edul is claiming that Guido Rodriguez is all set to sign for FC Barcelona in the summer transfer window.

As per the update, the Real Betis and Argentina midfielder has already signed a pre-contract with the Blaugrana and will arrive at the club in July as a free agent.

Guido, 30, has been a target for Barça for some time now, with the Catalans looking to reinforce the pivot midfield position.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner’s contract with Real Betis expires at the end of the season and he had shown no indication of wanting to renew for some time now.

Deal done

There were other clubs that had shown some interest in the Argentine international, but Barcelona have acted swiftly to secure his services.

Reports of an agreement in principle had started to surface towards the end of the last month and it is now being claimed that Rodriguez has already penned a pre-contract with the Catalans.

As such, everything appears set for the Real Betis star to land in the Catalan capital come summer.

Guido arriving to replace Romeu

It must be noted that the signing of Guido Rodriguez does not indicate the end of Barcelona’s pursuit of a top defensive pivot.

The idea is that the 30-year-old will come at the club to replace Oriol Romeu, who is destined to leave after a disappointing second stint with the Blaugrana.

Even with Rodriguez’s imminent arrival, Barça are expected to go after a top pivot, with Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad and Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich being their preferred targets.

The newfound uncertainty over the future of Robert Lewandowski has led to fresh rumours of a potential addition of a new striker at Barcelona this coming summer.

One of the names that have come up recently is Darwin Nunez, with the Liverpool frontman reportedly dreaming of a move to Camp Nou after a mixed spell at Anfield.

Liverpool won’t make things easy

However, Barcelona are expected to face many hurdles in their bid to sign Darwin Nunez in the coming summer.

According to Nicolas Saavedra, Liverpool are unlikely to entertain the sale of Nunez for anything less than €85 million, highlighting that the striker’s value has risen in recent years.

Saavedra offered a series of other updates on Nunez’s future, claiming that his agent Jorge Mendes wants the player out of Anfield. It appears Mendes has other ‘aspirations’ with the striker, who is regarded highly by the superagent.

This corroborates with earlier reports of Barcelona being offered the chance to sign the Uruguayan international, especially given Mendes’ relationship with Joan Laporta.

Nunez not thinking about an exit

Another hurdle for Barcelona will be the player himself. Although Nunez is reportedly dreaming of a move to Camp Nou, his immediate focus is on the upcoming Copa America.

The former SL Benfica starlet wants to do well for Uruguay and help his nation perform in the tournament. He is, after all, the greatest attacking threat for the South American giants.

Keeping that in mind, Nunez is not thinking about a move elsewhere right now. He is focused on doing well for Uruguay and might postpone any talks about his future at least until Copa America comes to an end.

Barcelona, to that end, may not be able to afford to play the waiting game and might have to settle for other alternatives in the market.

Jorge Mendes has reportedly offered a Liverpool play to Barcelona – on one condition. The Reds may be tempted to sell.

Sport in Spain reports that Jorge Mendes has offered Darwin Nunez to Barcelona. There has been speculation in recent weeks that the Catalonians had an interest in Nunez, now it appears there’s a chance they could get him.

However, there’s a condition here: Barcelona would only move for Nunez if Lewandowski were to leave the club this summer. There’s a good chance of that happening, though.

Nunez made headlines this week when he removed any references to Liverpool from his Instagram. It’s a strange effort from anyone – suggesting there was a very good reason for it.

Now, the most obvious reason was disillusion with Liverpool and the abuse he receives from fans online. He did it with talk that Barcelona are interested in him, though, fuelling talk that he could want the move this summer.

And then he fueled that even further.

Nunez was pictured in Barcelona this week, alongside compatriot Ronald Araujo. Araujo plays for Barcelona, of course. That kind of thing will naturally have people talking, especially on the back of his other Instagram drama.

Of course, none of us really know what’s going through his head and there are still two more games to play this season. It feels like a bizarre move to push for a transfer now, if that really is what Nunez is doing.

Though, instructing his agent to offer his services to Barcelona would be a much bigger sign that something could happen this summer. If there’s any truth to that, all of this certainly adds up to a sale.

The powers that be at La Liga giants Barcelona have identified another member of the club’s first-team ranks as all but non-transferrable this coming summer.

After a spectacular breakout last season, Alejandro Balde has not been able to replicate his success this time out because of an injury he sustained earlier in the year.

The marauding full-back picked up an injury during the Copa del Rey match between Athletic Club at San Mames.

Balde started the game but had to be substituted by Hector Fort after just 22 minutes. Tests afterwards showed that the youngster suffered an injury to the tendon in his right hamstring that required surgery.

While the Catalan giants have sorely missed his defensive assurance on the left flank in big games this season, his involvement for Spain in the upcoming Euro is not a distant possibility.

Return in sight

Indeed, according to Mundo Deportivo, Balde’s season with Barcelona has ended, but he is not excluded from the Euros this summer.

The tournament kicks off in Munich on Friday 14 June and ends with the final in Berlin on Sunday 14 July.

With approximately a month to regain full fitness, there are chances of him recovering in time to join the Spanish national team.

The medical team is working closely with him, and he remains focused on regaining peak conditions, with recent images posted on social media suggesting that he is entering the final phase of his recovery.

If Balde’s rehabilitation goes as planned, he could still play a crucial role in Spain’s quest for the title under the leadership of coach Luis de la Fuente.

However, Barcelona would want to proceed cautiously with his comeback, considering previous relapses caused by returning from injuries too soon and the intense demands of international football.

Nonetheless, he is expected to be a key part of Xavi Hernandez’s plans next summer, with Joao Cancelo’s future up in the air.

Barcelona defender Jules Kounde is reported to be attracting transfer interest from as many as five of Europe’s biggest clubs – including three from the Premier League.

Kounde was a high profile €50m signing from Sevilla in 2022 and has been a regular across each of his seasons at the club so far, both as a centre-back and right-back.

But Barcelona’s financial limitations continue and a group of five central defenders in the current squad is set to become six in summer once Eric Garcia’s loan at Girona ends. It points to one being sold, with Kounde and Ronald Araujo easily commanding the highest market value.

Araujo has already been heavily linked with Bayern Munich, as well as Manchester United and Chelsea, while Mundo Deportivo writes that United and Chelsea are also showing interest in Kounde – both clubs had been linked prior to his 2022 transfer to Camp Nou. But Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and nouveau-riche Newcastle United are also said to be in “the race” too.

Kounde has a contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2027, which should strengthen the club’s ability to command a premium fee for the 25-year-old.

The Frenchman has primarily been of use to Barcelona on the right of the back four. The arrival of Joao Cancelo last summer on loan from Manchester City had allowed Kounde to play in his more favoured central role, only for long-term injury to Alejandro Balde in January to force the Portuguese to cover on the left instead and recreate the void on the right to be filled.

Cancelo’s preference is to complete a permanent switch to Camp Nou, while Balde should be fit again next season, having undergone successful surgery on his hamstring tendon.