SETTABLOID

Xavi’s future at Barcelona continues to be talked about despite the Barcelona coach insisting he has not changed his mind about leaving in the summer.

Rafa Yuste, Deco and Joan Laporta have all said they want Xavi to change his mind and continue for at least another season.

Mundo Deportivo reckon that there is a chance that Xavi could stay on at Barcelona provided two things happen.

The first is that Barca need to finish the season well. How well you say? Well, they must win either La Liga or the Champions League or “at least compete until the end.”

Xavi’s second condition is related to signings. The Barcelona coach does not want another difficult transfer window and is keen to add to his squad.

The coach is said to want a player like Martin Zubimendi or Joshua Kimmich or Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.

Xavi has previously spoken of his admiration for Kimmich, and there is speculation he could leave in the summer if he doesn’t renew at Bayern Munich.

Meannwhile, Bernardo has long been linked with a move to Barcelona, with even Pep Guardiola admitting the midfielder would love to play for the Catalans.

Yet it still seems unlikely Barcelona will be able to spend big this summer unless Laporta and Co. can either secure some investment or decide to offload key players.

Although they also want to bring in some much-needed reinforcements for some weak areas of the team like the midfield pivot, for the next summer transfer window, FC Barcelona will be working primarily with one main objective in mind, i.e., lightening its wage bill to ensure that all of its players are registered.

FC Barcelona have been able to turn their form around in the last few weeks, and have got some very favourable results that puts them well in the race for both La Liga and the Champions League.

However, this turn in form does not change the fact, as yet, that Xavi Hernandez has already announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season. Still, with the upturn in team’s form, there have been news coming from the club that the Catalans want Xavi to continue working with them.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Xavi has not reconsidered his decision to remain at the club, and will do so only if there are some monumental changes in the situation at Barcelona.

One of the conditions in which Xavi can consider continuing at the Catalan club is if his team is able to win both or either La Liga and Champions League, or even if they compete well till the very end in these competitions. In such a situation, Xavi can consider stay, and his family would prefer it too.

However, there are some other conditions that the Barcelona head-coach also wants fulfilled, mainly related to the club’s ability to strengthen itself in the coming summer.

Alonso signed an 18-month contract in January 2023 which includes the option for an extra 12 months if he plays in 50% of matches this season, but a back injury and the emergence of other options have restricted him to just 299 minutes across seven appearances in all competitions this season.

With Alejandro Balde the preferred starter and loanee Joao Cancelo seen as the main backup, Fabrizio Romano notes that the decision has been made to bid farewell to Alonso when the season comes to a close.

Alonso made 37 appearances last year and was regularly used both as a left-back and in a surprise centre-back role, with his versatility earning him an extension to his initial one-year contract.However, he lost his place in the squad at the start of this season, before suffering a back injury which kept him sidelined between December and March. He is yet to play since returning to the squad last month.

Alonso is expected to remain in Spain when his contract expires and has long been tipped to join Atletico Madrid – a move which would see him complete a spell which each of Spain’s biggest three sides after he came through the Real Madrid academy and made a solitary appearance for Los Blancos in April 2010.

Cadena SER are the latest outlet to report on Atletico’s interest in Alonso. It is claimed that the 33-year-old already has an agreement with Diego Simeone’s side, although nothing has been made official at this point.

As well as Alonso, this summer could see Sergi Roberto bid farewell to Barcelona as he approaches the end of his own contract.A final decision has not been made about the versatile 32-year-old, whose future is expected to be tied to that of manager Xavi who, as it stands, will depart at the end of the campaign.

The upcoming summer transfer window will be a crucial one for FC Barcelona. There is already an understanding that while the managerial position remains uncertain, there are some positions in the team that must be improved upon. One of those positions for the Blaugranes happens to be the pivot role.

For this specific position, Barcelona have launched a hunt that spans across Europe. They seem to have found an option they like in France recently, and there are additional factors that could make this specific target a very attainable for FC Barcelona.

According to SPORT, the Catalans are keeping their eyes on Nice’s Khephren Thuram, son of former Blaugrana player and French player Lilian Thuram. He is seen as a physical midfielder who pleases Deco’s preference, and provides a similar profile to that of Amadou Onana, one of the Barcelona Director’s other favorites.

Contracted to Nice until 2025, he is currently valued at €35 million. For Barcelona, however, this price could end up coming down even more possibly. It just so happens that Nice reportedly have an eye on Senegalese talent Mikayil Faye, who coincidentally happens to be the property of La Blaugrana and plays under Rafa Marquez in the B team.

Even apart from Nice, other French teams such as Lens are speculated to be quite invested in the African prodigy. However, what may give Nice an advantage is the fact that Barcelona could be willing to take away Thuram. Already one of Ligue 1’s breakout stars, he is an option that Barcelona reportedly appreciate.

Furthermore, Nice themselves could even end up helping Barcelona afford their pivot. By advancing the sale of French defender Jean-Clair Todibo, they would be signing off 20% of whatever revenue they generate over to Barcelona as part of the deal they made when they first signed the Frenchman from the Catalan giants.

Thus, if reports of the €60 million price that Manchester United are willing to pay for him are to be believed, Barcelona could pocket a sizeable €12 million from it. This, in turn, could aid Barça’s pursuit of a new pivot for the team. For now, however, this remains an option involving both Todibo and Faye that Barcelona could look to exploit later.

Barcelona are ready to offer veteran Spanish defender Inigo Martinez in order to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in the summer, according to Marcos Duran. The La Liga giant want to sign the latter name on a permanent deal.

Barcelona will focus on trying to get all their injured players back from injury as they take on PSG in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League in just over a week.

 

The first-leg is scheduled to take place at the Parc des Princes, with the return fixture set to kick off at the Olympic Montjuic Stadium a week later.

Frenkie de Jong is expected to be back in time for the first-leg, but may not start. Pedri, on the other hand, may or may not be a part of the squad list. Barcelona will certainly not want to risk him, and have him ready to start the second leg.

Speaking about his recovery, Pedri wrote on The Residency, “There is no specific date. But for now, everything is going well.”

On Barcelona youngsters, Champions League goals, and Lionel Messi

Barcelona may not be the favourites to win the Champions League, but are certainly in contention in one way or another. And according to Pedri, the tournament could swing either way.

“We are Barça. It’s very complicated, but of course we can [win the UCL].”

“I see the Barcelona youngsters with confidence and a lot of desire in the Champions League,” he added.

Barcelona are placed on the comparatively easier side of the bracket in the UCL, and will face off against one of Borussia Dortmund or Atletico Madrid should they manage to qualify for the semi-finals.

On the other side are the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. So as far as his prediction for the UCL is concerned, Pedri went with:

“Barcelona vs Man City. But a Barça vs Real Madrid final would not be bad either!”

He was also asked to pick out his best Barcelona performer so far this season, and went with the two breakthrough stars that are making the most noise right now: Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi.

“Difficult to answer, but I will stick with the youngsters. Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal.”

The main objective heading into the summer transfer window for FC Barcelona is to return to the 1:1 rule in terms of Financial Fair Play so that they can operate with freedom in the market.

The situation at the club is delicate financially, and in order to achieve the objective, several steps need to be taken before the summer window.

Faced with such a scenario, the club, chaired by Joan Laporta, has been in close contact with La Liga in recent weeks in order to get a better idea of the roadmap to follow, reports SPORT.

Process complicated

Barcelona see it as very complicated to be able to operate normally in the next transfer window.

To do so, it would be necessary to compensate for the €100 million payment from Libero that has not arrived (€40 million from last summer plus another €60 million in June) and, in addition, to make at least two important sales.

Furthermore, it must also be remembered that at the end of the current season, the guarantee of €18 million that several directors provided at the beginning of the season to solve the registration problems will expire.

Barcelona hoping for some leeway from La Liga

La Liga has told the club that if they really aspire to return to the 1:1 rule, they have no choice but to sell at least one player of big name and value.

In his recent public appearances, Laporta has stated that he believes it will not be necessary to sell off any of their top players. But La Liga believes that Barça will continue to be stuck with the 40% rule otherwise.

In recent days, Barcelona have been in direct contact with La Liga president Javier Tebas to find out what room for manoeuvre they have, mainly in sporting matters.

It must be remembered that La Liga already made some concessions last summer, for example by accepting the registration of Inigo Martinez for a single season when the contract between the player and Barça is for two years.

The Catalan club hopes that La Liga will relax some of the rules next summer, which would be far from enough but would help.

Barça are counting on La Liga to lend a hand in some aspects, but at the same time, clearly there is a lot of homework that needs to be done.

The name Mikayil Faye is gaining attention within the FC Barcelona circle. The 19-year-old defender hasn’t played for the senior team yet, but his progress in the youth ranks is turning heads and as he keeps improving, interest from across Europe is growing.

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, fellow La Liga side Girona and Serie A powerhouse Juventus are both interested in him.

As of today, Barcelona continue to face a significant decision about this young talent. They need to decide whether to promote him to the first team for their future plans or entertain the tempting offers they have received.

Faye is a man in demand

The Senegalese centre-back, who recently scored a screamer for the youth team, won’t be staying with Barcelona’s reserve team next season.

He will either be promoted to the first team or consider offers from other clubs. Quite recently, Lens even made a €9 million offer during the winter transfer window, while Girona also kept in touch with Barcelona.

However, despite their persistence, the details of the potential transfer have not been revealed, and Barcelona have turned down all the proposals.

Girona have reignited interest

Faye, who joined Barcelona last summer from Croatian side NK Kustosija for €2.2 million, is once again catching the eye of the Girona scouts.

Despite that, though, Girona will face stiff competition from other interested teams, as the latest entrant in the race are Juventus, who are planning to offload some players in June and are seeking a player with Faye’s profile.

Within their sporting management, Faye is considered in high esteem, as they believe he has the potential to significantly enhance the team’s defence. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea are also reportedly monitoring the situation closely.

As for Barcelona, the Blaugrana are confident that the Senegalese will smoothly become a part of the team. They acknowledge his importance and intend to secure his future by either selling him with a buyback option or arranging a paid loan deal.

• Barcelona could drop out of the race to sign 16-year-old Palmeiras winger Estevao
• Chelsea seen as main suitors for teenager nicknamed Messinho
• Palmeiras prepared to demand his €60m release clause be paid
• 

Barcelona are reported to have abandoned their pursuit of 16-year-old Palmeiras winger Estevao, leaving Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain as the main suitors for the teenage sensation.

Estevao, who has been nicknamed ‘Messinho’ despite admitting he does not like such a name, is widely seen as the next superstar emerging from South America, with Chelsea, PSG and Barcelona battling for his signature over the past few months.

The teenager has openly confessed his desire to join Barcelona, but according to SPORT, Estevao may have to find a move elsewhere as Barca have decided against making a move for the winger.

Barcelona are reluctant to bring in another 16-year-old right winger when they already have Lamine Yamal, who is three months younger than Estevao and already shining for Xavi’s senior squad.

By putting their faith in Yamal, Barcelona have turned down the chance to move for Estevao, leaving Chelsea and PSG alone to fight for a deal

Further fuelling Barcelona’s decision is the fact that Palmeiras are said to be demanding Estevao’s release clause of €60m (£51m) be triggered in full – something Barca simply cannot afford to do in their current state.

Even if that sort of money could be raised through player sales, Barcelona officials do not believe it would be wise to spend so much on a player coming through in the same position as Yamal when there are other holes in the squad that need to be filled.

PSG previously failed with a double bid to sign both Estevao and Endrick before the latter agreed to join Real Madrid and could reignite their interest in the former now that Kylian Mbappe is set to depart this summer.

As for Chelsea, who were recently revealed to have hesitated when asked to trigger Endrick’s €60m clause, the Blues may have to raise their own funds this summer before making such an expensive move for a player who cannot move to Europe until the summer of 2025.