SETTABLOID

It has been a busy day at Barcelona, with the club desperately trying to navigate their managerial situation.

For weeks, it had seemed like Xavi would not continue as the coach post-summer after announcing his resignation in advance, despite the club trying their best to convince him to stay.

And just when it seemed like Xavi had finally folded and was ready to continue as the coach, reports started claiming that Barcelona were ready to take their search elsewhere, with the option of hiring Thomas Tuchel and Hansi Flick getting stronger.

That was far from the last bombshell of the day, with Fernando Polo now reporting that Xavi has decided that he will continue as the coach of Barcelona beyond the summer for another season, at least.

His contract with the club lasts until 2025, and the Spaniard is set to fulfill the deal, after which all parties will presumably take a call regarding the future.

Laporta to clear doubts tomorrow

There have been a lot of contrasting reports today, with some even claiming that Barcelona had requested Xavi to fire his brother, Oscar Hernandez, as the assistant coach and let Pep Guardiola’s no. 2, Domenec Torrent take over the gig.

However, now it seems that the dust has finally settled and that Xavi will continue as the head coach of Barcelona without reasonable doubt.

President Joan Laporta will host an official press conference tomorrow with the club’s media to explain the doubts that were risen today and in recent days regarding Xavi’s continuity.

More drama is expected to unfold in the coming weeks, with Xavi also expected to speak about the situation soon, most likely as early as ahead of Barcelona’s Monday clash against Valencia.

Xavi apparently isn’t leaving Barcelona after all.

Mundo Deportivo was first to report that the Barça manager — who in January said he would depart the club at the end of this season — will in fact stay on through the end of his contract, which runs through the end of the 2024-25 season.

At the time Xavi announced his intention to step down, the club legend said Barcelona needed “a change of dynamic” amid a disappointing season.

However, that announcement was followed by a 13-game unbeaten run for Barcelona, including impressive away wins over Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

That said, Barça lost its last two matches, and they were particularly painful defeats. A second-leg collapse against PSG ended the club’s Champions League hopes, while Barcelona led twice only for Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time winner to give Real Madrid a controversial 3-2 victory in the latest Clásico.

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.