La Liga giants Barcelona is on their way to recovery from a tough phase. The club is paving its way in the transfer market scouting young talents from across Europe. Barca’s recent acquisitions include Francisco Trincao, Pedri, and Sergino Dest. However, Barcelona is struggling because there is less to spend in the summer transfer window.
Sergino Dest was signed with money Semedo’s sale fetched on his sale to Premier League side Wolves. Koeman is taking crucial decisions in order to rebuild the squad. Hence, he has to sell the unwanted players so that he could raise the transfer budget and sign new players from his shortlist.
Barcelona need to replace Luis Suarez
Veteran players like Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, and IvanRakitic were let go because of their high salaries. It did save Barcelona a significant sum of money but some players cannot be replaced so easily. Suarez has been prolific since his arrival since 2014 and was consistent in front of the goal. He is the third most goal scorer of all time for Barcelona.
Barcelona will not pursue long-term target Lautaro Martinez due to a shortage of funds. Refraining from big-money signings means they have to find a cheap alternative to fill in that position. Koeman picked Olympique Lyon striker Memphis Depay as a suitable player to take the job. The Dutch forward had a price tag of around €25 million.
Depay will not join Barcelona: Lyon
However, it seems the deal cannot be closed because Lyon has stepped back from the negotiation. According to Le Progres, the French club will retain both of their star players, Memphis Depay and Houssem Aouar. They considered bids for their players upto Friday but the deadline has passed and will not commit to deals on the final day of the transfer window.
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Aouar was the chief target for Arsenal to solve their creative problems. Similarly, the 26-year-old Lyon striker had the potential to make it big at Camp Nou. It seems Koeman has to work without a number 9 this season. The Barcelona boss admitted they can play without a striker with the current strategy but it is good to assure enough options in the team.
Ronald may make a surprise move for Sociedad’s Alexander Isak who is a developing striker. Isak does not have much experience and has a high price evaluation. Real Sociedad put an asking price of €60 million on the youngster.
