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Barcelona have kicked off 2022 with a 1-0 win over Mallorca. The January transfer window is now open and the Catalans have already secured the services of Ferran Torres from Manchester City. This is expected to be a pretty hectic month for the club as they look to bring reinforcements to the squad and get rid of some deadwood.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 3 January 2022.
Joan Laporta makes Erling Haaland transfer claim
Erling Haaland has been linked with Barcelona for a very long time. The Norwegian striker is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Several European giants are interested in the 21-year-old whose €75 million release clause will come into play this summer.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are in heavy debt and won't be able to register Ferran Torres until more players are offloaded. Despite that, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has not ruled out a move for Haaland.
He said (via Sport):
"Haaland? Our obligation is to build a great team. Anything is possible if we do well. And I am sure we will do well. Very soon we will see the sporting resurgence of Barça.”
Mateu Alemany hints at more January transfer activity
Barcelona have signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City. However, due to their financial troubles, the Catalans cannot register their new signings. They need to offload players before they can add new ones to the squad.
Barcelona continue to be linked with Alvaro Morata. Club director Mateu Alemany discussed Barcelona's current predicament in an interview with Movistar (via MARCA):
"We know the problems we have and we know the position we're in. We evaluate these things when we make the decisions and we hope to solve the situation when we can.
He added that there are other ongoing 'situations' which could be completed this week.
"It [Yusuf Demir leaving] would help. There are a lot of ongoing situations that we hope we can complete this week."
Alvaro Morata set to join Barcelona on six-month loan deal
According to AS, Alvaro Morata to Barcelona is 95% complete. The Spanish striker is currently on loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid. The report claims there is agreement between all three clubs involved over a deal.
Atletico Madrid owe Barcelona money over the loan deal of Antoine Griezmann. That has reportedly played a hand in forcing the Rojiblancos to agree a deal.
However, a deal can only be completed once Barcelona have offloaded some of their current players. Juventus will also look for a replacement before they let Morata leave the club. Defender Samuel Umtiti and midfielder Philippe Coutinho are among the players who are set to be shown the exit door at the Camp Nou.
Morata hasn't had a great season with Juventus. In 23 appearances across all competitions for the Bianconeri, the Spanish striker has scored just seven goals and provided three assists.
