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Barcelona turned in a spirited performance against Real Madrid but fell to a 2-3 loss in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final.
The Catalans are currently sixth in the La Liga table and Xavi Hernandez and co. have a lot of work to do if they are to turn this season around. The club are also actively scouring the transfer market for players who can improve their squad. They are also looking to offload some deadwood this month.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 15 January 2022.
Erling Haaland discusses future
Erling Haaland has become the most sought after striker in Europe. Several top clubs on the continent are expected to line up in the summer to battle for his servics in the summer. Barcelona are prominent among the clubs that have been linked with the Norwegian international.
Haaland has been in sublime form for Dortmund this term. He has scored 21 goals and provided six assists in 18 appearances across all competitions in the ongoing campaign. Speaking to the press after bagging a brace in Dortmund's 5-1 win over SC Freiburg, Haaland discussed his future. He said (h/t Viaplay):
“I haven’t spoken about my future out of respect for Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund are pushing me to take a decision, but right now I only want to play football. It looks like I have to start taking decisions soon.”
Barcelona ask Chelsea to pay €60 million for Frenkie De Jong
Chelsea are interested in securing the services of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong. Following the rise of youngsters like Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez, the Dutchman is no longer viewed as undroppable.
According to El Nacional, Chelsea have tabled a €40 million offer to Barcelona for De Jong. However, the Catalans won't let him leave for anything less than €60 million. They had paid €86 million to sign him from Ajax in 2019.
If De Jong fails to improve his game and his performances continue to be poor, Barcelona might have to settle for €50 million. Bayern Munich are also reportedly interested in the 24-year-old.
As per the report, Xavi would like for De Jong to stick on and be an option at Barcelona. But he won't stand in the way if the club wants to cash in on him.
Barcelona close to announcing a striker signing
According to Once (via Forbes), Barcelona president Joan Laporta and club chief Mateu Alemany are looking to sign a striker before the end of the January transfer window. It is not clear who the striker is but the report claims an announcement will be made in the coming days.
It is being suggested that Alvaro Morata is the player. But it will be a very complicated deal to pull off since Morata is currently on loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid. The Rojiblancos will also ask for a high sum for the Spaniard since they do not want to strengthen their title rivals.
