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Barcelona have appointed Xavi Hernandez as the club's new manager. Ronald Koeman was sacked almost two weeks ago after the team got off to a poor start to the season. There are a lot of expectations on Xavi as he takes charge of his former club.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 14 November 2021.
Besiktas president says they want to buy MIralem Pjanic
Miralem Pjanic is one player that Barcelona were looking to offload in the summer. The Bosnian international is currently on loan at Besiktas. Now that the club have appointed Xavi as the new manager, one of the first things they want to get around to is getting rid of some of the deadwood on a permanent basis.
Barcelona have been handed a major boost in the Pjanic situation with Besiktas president Ahmed Nur Cebi claiming the club would like to sign him permanently.
The Besiktas president said (via Mundo Deportivo):
“Pjanic is a world-class name. We would like to buy him, but it depends on the conditions. We will never attempt anything bigger than our budget, but I hope he stays within out budget.”
Barcelona initiate contact with Karim Adeyemi
German journalist Florian Plettenburg claims that Barcelona are interested in signing RB Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi. According to Plettenberg, Barcelona have initiated contact with Adeyemi's agent Manfred Schwabl. He added that people belonging to Adeyemi's camp are confident that the move will happen.
It is further claimed that the Catalans have a good working relationship with RB Salzburg. The 19-year-old has done a stellar job so far of filling the void left by Patson Daka, who joined Leicester City this summer. Adeyemi is the latest quality striker to have come of the Austrian giants' conveyor belt.
Adeyemi has scored 15 goals and provided two assists in 22 appearances across all competitions for RB Salzburg so far in the 2021-22 season. Barcelona had reportedly tried to secure his services in 2019 but failed in their pursuit. But they have kept tabs on him and are still interested in signing him.
Xavi wants Thiago Alcantara at Barcelona
Xavi wants to bring his former teammate Thiago Alcantara back to Barcelona, according to Sport. Xavi reportedly believes that Thiago could be a leader in the new era he hopes to usher in at the Camp Nou. Having played with Thiago at Barcelona during his playing days, Xavi is well aware of what the midfielder can bring to the team.
Thiago is not the only Liverpool player that the Catalans are interested in signing. They have also registered an interest in Mohamed Salah but signing the Egyptian international will depend on how his contract situation with Liverpool pans out.
Thiago's stint at Liverpool has not really gone to plan. He has suffered too many injuries and has never really impressed on a consistent basis in the Premier League. Hence, a move to his home country and to his former club might just be what the doctor ordered for Thiago.
