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Barcelona are preparing for a crucial game on Sunday against Valencia. The pressure is on Ronald Koeman after the club fell to a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in their latest La Liga outing. The Catalans have just a single win in their last six games and it has been far from an ideal start to the post-Lionel Messi era.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 15 October 2021.
Josep Maria Bartomeu says letting Lionel Messi leave was a bad decision
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu's tenure ended in the most disgraceful fashion. Bartomeu and his board of directors were forced to resign but he has not taken any prisoners while criticizing his successor Joan Laporta.
His presence at the club was one of the main reasons why Lionel Messi wanted to leave the club in the summer of 2020. Yet he has not held back in saying Laporta has made a poor decision by letting Messi leave. Speaking to Sport, Mundo Deportivo and others, he said:
"They let Messi leave and that seems like a bad decision to me. Playing without Messi shows that a lot of things have to change. As president, I didn't want Messi to leave and I did everything I could to prevent it from happening."
Bartomeu's board still incurs a lot of criticism for Barcelona's current financial condition but he has defended them.
"I'm not afraid. Nobody from my board put their hand into the till. You can't hide that, and after so many months we would have known by now.
"Nothing came out in the audit nor when they did their due diligence. They can do whatever they want."
Barcelona fear another Ilaix Moriba situation with Ousmane Dembele
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele's current contract expires next summer. However, it is not clear whether the Frenchman will put pen to paper on a new deal with the club. He is free to enter into a pre-contract agreement with any club from January 1.
If Dembele chooses to do that, then Barcelona will lose out on the opportunity of getting a transfer fee for him as he will leave in the summer as a free agent. ESPN claims that the Catalans fear the situation could devolve into something similar to Ilaix Moriba's.
If Dembele chooses not to extend his contract, he is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the season. Moriba refused to agree to the terms offered by Barcelona last summer and the club forced him to train with the reserves. They finally cashed in on him and sold him to RB Leipzig for €16 million + €6 million in add-ons.
Negotiations with Ousmane Dembele's agent Moussa Sissoko have not been straightforward. Despite the 24-year-old having reportedly expressed his desire to stay at the club, him leaving next summer for a free is a real possibility, as per Sky Sports journalist Matteo Moretto.
That would be a huge problem for Barcelona as Dembele is one of the most expensive signings in the club's history. The Catalans signed him from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 for a sum of €135 million.
Barcelona eyeing move for Jesse Lingard
According to ESPN, Barcelona are weighing up a move for Manchester United's Jesse Lingard. The 28-year-old's contract is set to expire next summer and he is free to enter into a pre-contract agreement with any club from January 1.
Barcelona and AC Milan are reportedly keeping tabs on his contract situation. The Catalans are scouring the free-agent market for potential signings and Lingard is an exciting prospect in that regard.
The Manchester United academy product had an excellent loan spell in the second half of the 2020-21 season with West Ham United. He scored nine goals and provided four assists in 16 appearances for the Hammers and played a crucial role for them as they finished sixth in the Premier League table last term.
