Getty Xavi with Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
Barcelona brought in four players in the winter transfer window to strengthen Xavi’s first-team squad and are expected to be active again in the summer when the window reopens.
Indeed president Joan Laporta has “promised head coach Xavi Hernández that he’ll have a world-class striker in his squad next season,” as reported by Javi Miguel at Diario AS.
Erling Haaland remains the top target but Barcelona have an alternative if the Borussia Dortmund hotshot can’t be lured to the Camp Nou. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been “lined up as the alternative to the Norwegian.”
Director of football Mateu Alemany and Xavi “consider Salah as a perfect candidate to round off Barça’s new forward line if the club miss out on Haaland.” Salah is out of contract at Anfield in 2023 and yet to agree a new contract.
The Catalans therefore think it’s possible to land Salah at a “knockdown price.” The Egyptian could be brought in for around €60-70 million given that he will be available on a free transfer the following summer.
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Laporta Cools Haaland Rumors
Laporta has spoken out about the ongoing speculation surrounding Haaland’s future and talk of a potential move to the Camp Nou. The president told TV3 that the club won’t make any signings that involve financial risk, as reported by FourFourTwo.
“Even if we had the best possible financial situation, there are some operations that we will not do,” he said. “The sporting directors are working hard to improve the team and we want to make signings, but there are some that are very difficult. We have to save ourselves. We have improved the situation, but we have to finish the job of turning the financial situation around. And we won’t do any operations that put the club at risk.”
It has already been reported that Barcelona have offered Haaland a five-year deal worth €190 million gross. The offer includes a series of staggered payments due to the club’s current financial situation.
Barca Must Reduce Costs To Make Signings
Yet La Liga have already made it clear that Barca must reduce costs if they are to make signings in the summer. The league has confirmed Barca’s spending limit is now set at -€144 million. Director general Javier Gomez has offered the following update on the situation, as reported by ESPN.
“To make signings, Barcelona have to reduce the costs they have now or bring in more income. There’s no other way. Barcelona’s losses are greater than their capacity to bring in income,” he said. “That’s why [the spending limit] is negative. Until [Barca] recover the net worth that they’ve lost, the only way they can spend is with the 1:4 rule, where if you save €10m, you can spend €2.5m. The only way for Barcelona to sign is by making savings on [player] contracts, until they generate income.”
One way to generate income is by sponsorship deals, with Laporta having already confirmed talks with Spotify, while Barca could also do a u-turn and join La Liga’s CVC investment deal or sell off some of Barca Studios.
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