SETTABLOID

With the summer transfer window a couple of months away, Barcelona are once again the centre of attention as they face a pivotal period before the next season.

Not only is the managerial situation under the scanner, but Barça also need to make some changes to the squad which will be dictated by the financial situation at the club.

For the Catalans to return to the 1:1 ruling in the summer, there is a need to generate revenue and player sales are seen as the best bet to achieve that.

Five ‘non-transferable’ players

However, not all players are up for sale, with Barcelona considering five young talents at the club as absolutely ‘non-transferable’, according to SPORT.

Indeed, as per the report, La Masia graduates Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Gavi, along with Pedri and Mika Faye are seen as absolute untouchables by Barcelona and the club will not entertain any offers for them.

Barça have already let those around these footballers know that they are not willing to negotiate for them.

With Yamal attracting interest from PSG, Barça have made it clear that he will not be sold under any circumstances.

Arsenal expert Charles Watts says he expects Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva is more likely to join Barcelona than seal a move to the Gunners this summer.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Watts discussed Arsenal’s plans to add some spark to their attack this summer, acknowledging the north London club’s interest in youthful Premier League duo Michael Olise and Pedro Neto.

However, Watts is not convinced by the rather surprising transfer rumours we’ve seen about Man City star Silva also being on Arsenal’s radar, with the journalist explaining that if the Portugal international is to leave the Etihad Stadium, it would more likely be for Barcelona.

Silva has been a star player for City for many years now and could surely be a fine addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad, though Pep Guardiola will surely be keen to avoid selling to a title rival again, having done so with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko back in summer 2022.

Silva transfer to Arsenal looks unlikely, says Watts

“We could see Arsenal target an attacking player this summer and that’s inevitably led to plenty of speculation, so I thought I’d provide an update on what I’m hearing,” Watts said.

“I’ve seen a few surprising reports linking Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva with Arsenal, but I have no idea where that has come from. I can’t see any way of that happening. If he does eventually go anywhere, you would think he will finally end up at Barcelona.”

Barca would surely do well to add a talent like Silva to their squad as well, and AFC may feel it’s better to let that particular player go and focus on younger talents like Olise and Neto, who could have years ahead of them left at this level.

Silva, by contrast, has probably peaked now and has won all there is to win in the game at City, so might not have the same motivation to reach the very top with Arsenal.

It’s a list that seems to pop up every summer these days regarding Barcelona, as they once again enter a summer looking to make sales. The list of players for who the Blaugrana will not consider offers for, or ‘the untouchables’. This year that list is just five strong, and Barcelona will be open to sales for all other players.

As per Sport, this year that list incudes Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. All four make sense as young players with the potential to become the best on the planet in their position, and the ones that carry the hopes of Barcelona fans dreaming of a brighter future.

The fifth name is also just 19 years of age, but his ‘non-transferable’ tag comes as something of a surprise: Mikayil Faye. The Senegalese defender joined from Croatian second division side NK Kustosija for €1.5m last summer, and has impressed for Rafael Marquez’s Barca Atletic, but is yet to make his first-team debut.

The plan with Faye is for him to be given a salary rise, and promoted to the first team this summer, with a view to becoming one of their key players in the coming years. A left-footed centre-back that would suggest that Cubarsi and Faye are seen as the central defensive pairing of the future.

Faye looked as if he was a prime candidate for a quick sale this summer, as a player they could turn a large profit on, and with plenty of interest. The fact that he is yet to debut with the senior side means they could do so without impacting the first team, but perhaps this only strengthens the idea that Ronald Araujo will be on his way out this summer.

Over the past few weeks, there have been murmurs about PSG taking an interest in Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

Last night, the rumours resurfaced again, with reports in France suggesting that the Parisian giants had made the 16-year-old La Masia graduate a priority target to replace Kylian Mbappe in the summer and are willing to splash €200 million.

The fact that they have a good relationship with Yamal’s agent, Jorge Mendes, means they believe they might be in a position to pull off the deal.

Yamal not for sale

However, according to a new report from MARCA, Barcelona have no plans of selling Lamine Yamal this summer under any circumstances.

PSG believe that Barcelona’s financial situation could compel them into considering a sale if they put forward €200 million for the 16-year-old Spanish international.

However, as far as the Blaugrana are concerned, the only way any club can sign Yamal is if they pay his €1 billion release clause as they do not intend to sell him.

Key for the present and the future

Yamal, along with several other youngsters like Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, and Fermin Lopez are seen as key to the present and the future of the club.

These four, along with other established stars like Pedri, Gavi, and Ronald Araujo are seen as the backbone of this Barcelona team and any offers will not be considered.

As for the club’s financial situation, they would be open to selling other players in the squad to generate revenue. But, Yamal is not for sale even if PSG put €200 million on the table.

Much has been said about Barcelona’s frail financial state, as the Catalan giants continue to seek ways to stabilize their budget while maintaining a competitive edge.

The Catalans are reinforcing their financial stability through several strategies: offloading players, reducing the wage bill, and generating revenue by selling club assets.

Now, it appears Barcelona are relying on another formula to overcome their economic crisis ahead of the summer transfer window.

Barcelona working on playing friendly at the end of the season

Indeed, as per Mundo Deportivo, in order to raise money that was not originally anticipated in the club’s budget, Barça are exploring the prospect of capping the campaign with a friendly match overseas.

This will not be the first time Barcelona have gone down this route. Earlier, at the halfway point of the season, the Catalan giants locked horns against Club America in Dallas, which secured them an impressive €5 million.

Similarly, last season, on June 6, as newly-crowned Spanish LaLiga champions, Barcelona also earned a hefty amount for flying to Tokyo, where they met Andres Iniesta’s Vissel Kobe.

An insight into the stance of Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal when it comes to his future with the club has been forthcoming online.

As much, of course, comes amid surprise speculation linking the attacker with an exit.

According to Le Parisien, Paris Saint-Germain will look to make Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (16) one of their priorities over the summer as they attempt to replace the outgoing Kylian Mbappé (25).

A headline member of the attacking ranks at Premier League champions Manchester City is determined to link up with Barcelona this summer.

That’s according to Diario Sport, who have on Tuesday provided an insight into the situation.

The player with his sights set on a move to Catalunya’s capital comes in the form of Bernardo Silva.

A long-time Barcelona target, the Portuguese, it is understood, views his stint in Manchester as having run its course, eager for a new challenge with a view to next season.

Sport, in fact, go as far as to suggest that Bernardo is ‘crazy’ about the prospect of joining Barca.

And, safe to say, the interest is very much mutual.

Blaugrana boss Xavi held in-depth discussions with Bernardo over the prospect of joining his ranks at the Camp Nou last summer, albeit with the club’s financial situation having prevented any deal from coming to fruition.

This time round, though, with the predicted monetary boost stemming from a new lucrative deal kit manufacturer Nike, Deco and co. should be better positioned to push forward with a transfer.

Bernardo’s Man City contract contains a release clause set at around €58 million, a sum which Barcelona do not consider as out of reach.

Will the Catalans at long last get their man? As much remains to be seen, but it certainly appears a more realistic scenario this time round than ever before.

Barcelona will have to do their level best this summer to offload players and earn some money through sales that might help them get back to the 1:1 rule in La Liga.

However, the task sounds much easier than it actually is.

As of now, only players out on loan, including Clement Lenglet, Ansu Fati, Sergino Dest, and Eric Garcia are heading towards the exit door, and none of them are expected to bring in a lot of revenue.

And among the players with a high transfer value, Barcelona are not ready to compromise on their squad by selling important assets such as Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, Lamine Yamal, among others.

This does leave some others, who might not be too keen on leaving the club this summer.

High salary problems

According to a report published by SPORT, Barcelona will have problems while trying to offload Frenkie de Jong and Jules Kounde, even if they get suitable offers for each of them.

Real Madrid secured a narrow 3-2 victory against Barcelona, but the match was overshadowed by significant controversies and questionable refereeing decisions.

Although Barcelona appeared stronger on paper, they could not secure the win and effectively lost their chance to defend their La Liga title.

Despite setting aside the contentious calls, the match was marred by several glaring mistakes, which are uncommon at this level.

These errors significantly affected the outcome, leaving Barcelona with a defeat in a game they should have won. Let’s explore the reasons behind Barcelona’s loss in this important Clasico match.

A midfield that could not match Madrid

In the midfield, Xavi, started with Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan facing off against Real Madrid’s duo Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

However, Xavi had to make adjustments due to de Jong’s injury, bringing in Pedri and Fermin instead, which altered Barcelona’s strategy.

Due to De Jong’s injury, Xavi had to make some adjustments to the team. At halftime, he brought on Pedri to replace the injured player, and Fermin took over for Andreas Christensen, which led to a reduction in the height advantage.

Later on, Ferran Torres was moved into a false nine role, and Joao Felix shifted to the left-back position.

Barcelona’s pressure and strategy

Barcelona displayed a high-pressing strategy, aligning players across all levels of the pitch.

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha positioned themselves against Real Madrid’s centre-backs, while Joao Cancelo and Lamine Yamal pressed against the fullbacks.

Barcelona’s midfielders engaged Real Madrid’s midfield, and Christensen focused on marking Jude Bellingham.

This pressing approach helped Barcelona control the first half of the match, with the team making five successful recoveries in Real Madrid’s half within the first 18 minutes. One of these recoveries led to a goal for Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Lewandowski played a significant role in maintaining Barcelona’s offensive threat by dropping deeper into the midfield, creating space for his teammates. As a result, he ended up winning four of the seven duels.

The passing map below explains how deep Lewandowski was against Real Madrid.

His movements helped the team transition from defence to attack. However, this deeper positioning limited his offensive impact, as he had only two shots and a few crosses.

Cancelo’s defensive lapse

Cancelo’s defensive positioning was a point of concern for Barcelona throughout the game, as he allowed Real Madrid to equalize by failing to track back effectively.

This mistake mirrored a similar error he made in the Champions League match against Ousmane Dembele Dembele. Cancelo seemed more focused on attack, leaving defensive gaps that Real Madrid exploited.

Lamine Yamal – Barcelona’s knight

Yamal had a significant impact on the game against Camavinga by creating opportunities in various ways.

Notably, his performance was not centred around his usual dribbling abilities; instead, he excelled in creating chances from set plays and attacking spaces behind defenders.

Koundé’s frequent passes over Camavinga’s head were not only successful but also a consistent strategy that allowed Barcelona to access Real Madrid’s defensive area.

These breaks combined with precise interventions, including an accurate cross that led to Fermín’s goal.

Lamine contributed to the match with 10 dangerous actions in the opponent’s area, making him the most influential player on the field. His stats included 57 touches, a successful 26 out of 32 passes, an assist, and a strong presence in the attacking play.

Barcelona relied heavily on his side of the field, with 47% of their attacks directed through him. Passing maps from the game highlight how the team increasingly focused on utilizing Lamine’s talents from the 51st minute onward.

A plan that ALMOST worked

Xavi’s substitutions seemed to align closely with his strategy, bringing on Fermin, Ferran, and Felix with more than half an hour left in the game.

Of the three, only Fermín made a notable impact. After he came on, he injected verticality into the midfield.

The 45 minutes Fermín played were full of energy and high-quality play. He made 24 touches, most of them in threatening areas in the final third of the pitch. He also showed a strong desire to finish plays, with three shots on goal and one score.

Ultimately, Barcelona’s loss can be attributed to individual mistakes and poor management of key moments after scoring. This match serves as a microcosm of Barcelona’s season, highlighting areas where the team could improve to avoid similar losses in the future.

This match serves as a clear representation of the team’s season.