Getty Xavi wants Jules Kounde at Barcelona.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez is already shaping his first-team squad ahead of the 2022-23 season and has been deciding which players are surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou.
The coach has already informed president Joan Laporta of three players who do not feature in his plans for the future, as reported by Juan Ignacio Lechuga at El Desmarque.
Striker Martin Braithwaite, midfielder Riqui Puig and on-loan winger Adama Traore will all be allowed to leave in the summer. Braithwaite has missed a large chunk of the season with a knee injury but remains on the sidelines despite being fully fit again.
The Denmark international has only made four La Liga appearances all season and faces stiff competition for minutes with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres, Memphis Depay, and Luuk de Jong around,
Puig has also spent most of the season on the bench and has slipped behind exciting youngsters such as Gavi and Nico Gonzalez in the pecking order. The midfielder has only played three times in 2022 and continues on the bench even with Pedri now out injured.
Meanwhile, Adama arrived on loan in January and made a good impression initially back at the Camp Nou, contributing four assists in his first five games. Yet the winger has now gone 10 games without a goal or an assist and Barca do not want to pay the €30 million purchase option in his contract.
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Barca Need Players to Leave
The Catalans will have to offload players if they are to bring in any new signings for the 2022-23 campaign, a fact Xavi acknowledged at a news conference ahead of his team’s defeat to Rayo Vallecano.
Xavi was asked about potential signings for next season and made it clear the club has plenty of work to do if they are to add to the squad over the summer.
“We are working hard on the squad list for next season, it depends on the economic situation, right now we are waiting to see what we can do,” he said. “We need more players to come in, for players to come some will have to leave. We try to focus on the day-to-day right now. Try to secure Champions League football for next season. We’ll see.”
Barca have reportedly already completed deals for free agents Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie, but the club will have to make room in the squad, and on the wage bill, for any more arrivals.
Xavi Wants 7 New Players?
Laporta could be set for a busy summer with Xavi keen to strengthen his squad. The new coach wants to reinforce seven position before the new campaign, as reported by Diario Sport.
Xavi has already made his demands clear. He also told his news conference that, “there are positions we don’t have back up in and the ideas is to have two competitive players for each position.”
As well as Christensen and Kessie, Barca could also move for two new full-backs and two more attackers. Leeds United’s Brazilian forward Raphinha and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski are two of the club’s top targets.
Barca will still have to work hard to make their transfer business add up and comply with La Liga’s salary limits. Offloading players is one option to help bring in new signings, but Barca could also look to raise income through La Liga’s CVC deal or by selling off a stake in Barca Studios.
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