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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 16 January 2022.
Barcelona to battle Real Madrid for Frank Kessie
Barcelona will once again be looking into the free agent market for reinforcements this summer. According to Fichajes, they are interested in AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
There will be quite a lot of potential suitors for Kessie. Real Madrid are prominent among the other clubs who are lining up a move for him. Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti and president Florentino Perez are both admirers of the Ivory Coast international.
However, as per recent reports, Kessie favors a move to Real Madrid over Barcelona since the former will be able to offer him a more lucrative deal.
Ronald Araujo to renew contract on one condition
Ronald Araujo has established himself as one of the best centre-backs at the club over the past couple of seasons. He has been a resilient presence in the backline for Barcelona and has also scored some important goals for the Catalans in recent times.
Barcelona are looking to extend the Uruguayan international's contract. According to SPORT, Araujo is keen to extend his contract at Barcelona but only on one condition. He wants his wage package to reflect his importance to the club.
Araujo is currently one of the lowest earning defenders in the side. He earns less than Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Eric Garcia and Samuel Umtiti. The 22-year-old and his camp want the situation to be sorted out soon but Barcelona are likely to get to it only after the January transfer window draws to a close.
Rodrigo Moreno wants to join Barcelona
According to El Nacional, Xavi has asked for the signing of Leeds United forward Rodrigo Moreno. The Spanish international joined the Premier League outfit in the summer of 2020 but has failed to nail down a starting berth.
In 43 appearances across all competitions for Leeds United, Rodrigo has scored nine goals and provided two assists. Rodrigo needs to play more regularly if he is to make it to Spain's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Rodrigo is reportedly keen to move to Barcelona. However, Barcelona will need to act fast with just two weeks remaining in the January transfer window. Leeds United have a relatively thin squad and are unlikely to part with a player like Rodrigo halfway through the season.
