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Now that Barcelona's quest for the La Liga title has practically ended, the board is going to focus on reshuffling the squad and are open to offloading quite a few big names.
Barcelona are sitting third in the La Liga table, four points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid with two games remaining to be played. Unless something miraculous happens, the Catalans will end the season with just the Copa Del Rey in their kitty.
Meanwhile, the board is working tirelessly behind the scenes ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer transfer window. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 15 May 2021.
Ronald Koeman wants to stay and feels unfairly treated
After embarking on a resurgent run in the second half of the season, the La Liga title was Barcelona's to lose but after taking just five points from their last four matches, they have practically let the opportunity slip. With talks of Barcelona looking to replace Koeman doing the rounds, the manager has responded by saying he feels unfairly treated by the media.
Speaking to the press ahead of Barcelona's game against Celta Vigo, Koeman said:
"We won the Copa del Rey, we cut the gap with Atletico down by 12 points to fight for the title, but then if you look at the press coverage in the last few days it seems as if I've done a bad job. It's not fair that one day everything seemed perfect and two weeks later everything is horrible."
Ronald Koeman still has a year left on his current Barcelona contract and added that he will sit down with club president Joan Laporta later this month.
"We have agreed to talk at the end of the season. It's very important for a coach to work in a club where he has absolute confidence. If that's the case, I can and I'd like to stay."
AC Milan could hijack Barcelona's move for Memphis Depay
AC Milan are actively scouring the market for a new striker. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 39-years-old now and he cannot be expected to play week in and week out and as such, the Rossoneri are shortlisting several potential targets.
According to Daniel Speranza, AC Milan are interested in securing the services of Memphis Depay. The Olympique Lyon forward is all set to become a free-agent in the summer with Barcelona tipped to be his most likely destination.
As per the report, Paolo Maldini is in touch with Memphis Depay's camp and the Dutchman is reportedly keen to move to Italy.
Barcelona's board and the manager reportedly have different views on which striker to sign. Joan Laporta is keen to bring Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero to the Camp Nou. However, Koeman is keen to reunite with Depay, whom he has managed during his stint with the Dutch national team.
Marca has reported that Barcelona have more or less secured Depay's signing but it will only be finalized after a decision is made on Koeman's future.
Barcelona open to selling Antoine Griezmann
As per Matteo Moretto, who works for Italian Sky Sports and Di Marzio, Barcelona will let Antoine Griezmann leave in the summer for the right offer. Griezmann has enjoyed a decent season at the Camp Nou but his impact has been rather underwhelming since joining the club in 2019.
However, he has been key to Barcelona clawing their way back to the La Liga title. But despite that, Barcelona's precarious financial condition is forcing them to let go of some of their big stars and Griezmann would be among them if the right offer arrives.
