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Barcelona are preparing to welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Camp Nou on Saturday in their opening game of the new La Liga campaign. Xavi took his team to second in the league last season and will eye the title this time.
Meanwhile, the Blaugrana have reached an agreement to sign a Manchester City midfielder. Elsewhere, Sergio Busquets wants to leave in 2023. On that note, here's a look at the key Barcelona transfer stories as on August 10, 2022:
Barcelona reach agreement to sign Bernardo Silva
Barcelona have struck a €60 million deal with Manchester City to sign Bernardo Silva, according to journalist Gerard Romero via The Hard Tackle.
The Portuguese midfielder has been one of the stars of the show at the Etihad and enjoyed a brilliant 2021-22 campaign. The 28-year-old scored 13 goals from 50 appearances across competitions, helping City win the Premier League.
Silva's exploits have earned him admirers at the Camp Nou. The player is eager to leave the Etihad this summer in search of a new challenge, and the Blaugrana are ready to oblige. The Portuguese is likely to be a replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who's all set to be offloaded this summer.
Sergio Busquets wants to leave in 2023
Sergio Busquets wants to leave Barcelona in 2023, according to Mundo Deportivo via The Hard Tackle.
The Spaniard is in the final year of his contract with the Blaugrana and wants a new adventure next summer. Inter Miami are eager to take him to the MLS, with the 34-year-old also open to a move.
Busquets has been integral to Blaugrana's success since breaking into the first team over a decade ago.
He has amassed 676 appearances for the La Liga giants, winning countless trophies. However, Busquets believes the time is ripe for a fresh challenge and wants to leave once his contract expires next summer. Barcelona want him to stay till 2024, but the player is unlikely to oblige.
Robert Lewandowski says working with Pep Guardiola prepared him for Camp Nou move
Robert Lewandowski believes working with Pep Guardiola helped him adjust to life at Barcelona. The Polish international left Bayern Munich this summer to move to the Camp Nou.
Speaking to Sport, Lewandowski said that Guardiola and Xavi are a lot alike.
"Guardiola’s philosophy and his style of caring for and managing the team, I think, basically was Barca at Bayern Munich. Xavi is very similar to Guardiola. They were both ‘sixes’; they worked together. They think about football in the same way," said Lewandowski.
The 33-year-old added that he had eyes only for the La Liga giants this summer.
“With that memory in mind, Barca was the only option for me, and it was a great preparation when I was there. I didn’t talk to Guardiola before signing. But when I was with him at Bayern, it was like a great preparation to get to Barca one day," said Lewandowski.
He added:
“All the staff were Spanish; there were eight Spanish players. During that period, I had a very good relationship with Thiago (Alcantara) and Javi Martinez. Both of them congratulated me when I signed for Barca.”
Lewandowski arrives at the Camp Nou after scoring 344 goals in eight seasons at Bayern.
