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FC Barcelona could be looking at another bad start to the season this year. With the financial mess the club finds itself in, the future of many first-team players is uncertain.
Although Barcelona had a reasonably good start to the transfer season with some smart acquisitions, there are many things that need to be sorted out.
FC Barcelona's long list of issues that need addressing
Lionel Messi’s contract situation
Starting with the most important of all, Lionel Messi’s contract situation. This is the one case where Barcelona cannot slip up and need to make a new contract official as soon as possible. Messi has done his part by taking a 50% pay cut and agreeing a deal in principle.
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This deal is based on a lot of permutations & combinations with Antoine Griezmann’s exit also being mooted upon. Fresh from winning his first major international trophy with Argentina, the Barcelona legend will be raring to start the season with a bang and win more trophies at club level.
Pedri is being overplayed for club and country
Pedri is currently with the Spain squad competing in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Having played 62 games for both club & country in a year, the 18-year old midfielder is being overplayed without any rest.
The Blaugrana are banking on him this season as he is one of the most important players in the team. He will definitely be needing a break after the Olympics and that can only mean he will miss the crucial first few weeks of the season.
Ilaix Moriba negotiations have stalled
Having had a breakthrough debut season last year, Ilaix Moriba was expected to be part of the first team from the get go this time around. The scenario is looking bleaker by the day as contract talks with Moriba’s entourage have stalled, reportedly over huge pay demands.
This has led to him not being able to train with the first team and instead training with the B team as a punishment.
Philippe Coutinho & Ousmane Dembele – the expensive duo
The most expensive mistakes of the Josep Bartomeu era continue to haunt FC Barcelona.
Philippe Coutinho commands one of the highest salaries in the Barcelona squad but doesn’t seem to be in Ronald Koeman’s plans for the upcoming season. He is just returning from a major injury. Barcelona need to get his huge wages off their books and are struggling to find him a new home.
Ousmane Dembeles’ case is a little different. He brings a different dimension to this Barcelona team with his explosive turn of pace and trickery but this hinges on him staying injury free. That was the case last season where he managed to stay fit for most of the season and played some really good games.
This progress at club level was halted when he was injured playing for the national team at the Euros 2020 and is out for 4 months. With only one year remaining on his contract, Barcelona have no choice but to renew his contract, else see him leave for free next year.
Offloading Fringe Players
Barcelona are trying to sell or loan out many fringe players such as Martin Braithwaite, Neto and Mirlem Pjanic. The Catalans have already had a good start in this regard with a 15 million euro sale of Junior Firpo to Leeds United and a loan deal for Francisco Trincao to Wolves in the Premier League.
The Joan Laporta-led board needs to quickly lift itself out of financial trouble and also build a competitive team for the upcoming season.
