Barcelona could not do much in the summer transfer window due to a lack of funds and a low transfer budget. Ronald Koeman tried to do business by selling some players and utilizing it to buy new players. Barcelona signed some youngsters like Francisco Trincao from SC Braga and Pedri from La Palmas.
Barcelona’s average business in the summer
Portuguese right-back Nelson Semedo fetched enough money to allow its replacement to arrive at Camp Nou. Ajax full-back Sergino Dest joined the Blaugrana for 20 million euros and is already showing he is worth more than the sum paid.
Barcelona also tried to purse Lyon striker Memphis Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia. Lyon agreed to the bid the Catalan club submitted on the deadline day but the contract negotiations were brought to a halt due to violation of the salary cap regulation. This saw the Dutch International miss out on his opportunity to play for Barcelona. Depay expressed his woes as he could not complete his transfer. On the other hand, Eric Garcia is a former La Masia graduate who was keen to return to his former club. City officials did not agree to the amount Barcelona wanted to pay for the young defender.
Wijnaldum: an option for future
The difference between the bid and the asking price was about 1.5 million euros. It was quite shocking as a rich resourced club like Manchester City was declining the transfer for a meager sum compared to their transfer budget. There is a possibility that Barcelona may snap him up the next summer when he becomes a free agent. Another player who was on the radar of Koeman is fellow national Georginio Wijnaldum who is doubting his future at the Merseyside outfit. According to The DailyMail, the midfielder may join the Catalunya side for a low fee or in the summer of 2021 with a few months left in his contract.
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Koeman has previously worked with Wijnaldum when the former was the manager of the Netherlands. The gaffer applauded the midfielder on his consistent performances for Liverpool and branded him as ‘an option in the future’. However, he also reminded me that his transfer business depends on the economic stability of the club, and also Koeman has stated the areas he would like to bolster first. The defense line has been one headache with sloppy movement and a lack of discipline. Barcelona also needs to find a way to replace Luis Suarez as they are without a first-team striker.
