Barça’s top management is moving, but opening the door to arrivals – beyond low-cost signings like Dani Alves – is subject to two major lines of action. One is to get rid of the tall tabs of the squad that have a residual role, like Coutinho and Umtiti. The other is to embrace the immediate injection of money that involves consigning Javier Tebas’ agreement with the CVC fund. These are the two main paths Barça have to sign. Although Reverter defended on Wednesday that Barça “will be able to sign in the winter and summer”, this same Thursday Joan Laporta admitted that the signing of a listed footballer like Ferran Torres is subject to a reduction in the salary cap. “We have a very small margin. We have to expand it and, in order to do that, some players would have to come out,” the president argued at a promotional event for La Marató de TV3.
Although with Koeman the priorities were a center forward and a physically midfielder, Xavi’s intention is to incorporate a striker who can act both on the wing and as a reference. Egarenc understands his game plan with extremes and, due to the avalanche of casualties at the front, has given the alternative to players from the branch such as Ez Abde or Ilias. With Dembélé’s deadly renewal, Ansu Fati’s physical problems, Braithwaite also injured and Kun forced to leave football due to heart problems, Barça’s line of attack is limited. In the case of the Argentine, the club is respectful and leaves in the hands of the footballer the moment when he makes his retirement official. Without being able to play, Barça would cancel their record, but the sources consulted admit that this would not change the scenario much with regard to the limited margin of maneuver.
Improve agreement with CVC
Faced with this scenario, the Barça executive is studying the agreement with CVC. There is less than a month left for the market to reopen. He will be second with Laporta at the box office and Alemany and Reverter as chief executives. In the summer window, with very high salaries in relation to income, Barça got rid of Griezmann and Pjanic on the horn and did not renew Messi in part decisively because he was not able to license large salaries. Now, with the Argentine at PSG and the files of the deferred veterans, the low prospect of short-term income (no news of new sponsorships) and the difficulty of ceding or selling assets make the pact with CVC the shortest path to be able to increase the income and, therefore, to obtain more salary margin. In this sense, club sources acknowledge to ARA that there are negotiations with the English fund to change the small print of the deal regarding the pressure on television rights that Barça should pledge, a factor that in the summer served as an argument to reject a 270 million injection and give up Messi’s continuity.
While it is likely that Barça will continue to vote against the CVC operation at next week’s league assembly, the reality is that there are open talks so that the club can aspire to sign it. before going on the market in January. In the event of a disagreement, Alemany and Reverter will again face the difficulty of closing down and the difficult position of Dembélé, who if he does not renew will leave free transfer next summer. The traumatic alternative would be to sell listed players, which the economic area suggested a few months ago in relation to Ansu Fati. Now, with the renewed Guinean Hispanic, the focus will be on Frenkie de Jong or Ter Stegen, two undisputed headlines that, if left out, would leave money in the box and space in the payroll, as well as a hole in the template. With the club at a loss and this year below budget, Barça are looking for financial formulas to re-float the sports project. The least dependent on the whims of the market is CVC, a solution that was declined in August at the request of Florentino Perez. Months later, with the Superliga frozen and the rules of the guarantees about to change, the pressure of the president of Madrid on the decisions taken at the Camp Nou may go down.
