Barcelona's 'most expensive' XI: Players bought under Josep Bartomeu

Barcelona has made some really big moves under Bartomeu.
Barcelona has made some really big moves under Bartomeu.

Midfielders

Miralem Pjanic

The midfielder is the last high-profile signing made by Bartomeu.
The midfielder is the last high-profile signing made by Bartomeu.

Another player who joined Barcelona following the club's decision to balance their books. The midfielder joined the La Liga giants at the end of the 2019-20 season, completing a €60 million from Juventus (excluding add-ons). The midfielder's move resulted in Arthur Melo moving in the other direction for €72 million (excluding add-ons).

The Bosnia Herzegovina international has looked a great fit whenever he has played for Barcelona. Despite being in his 30s, Miralem Pjanic looks a much better fit with Frenkie De Jong than Sergio Busquets. Only time will tell if Pjanic will be a success or a bust.

Frenkie De Jong

The Dutch international is the future of Barcelona midfield
The Dutch international is the future of Barcelona midfield

The future of Barcelona midfield, De Jong arrived at Catalan capital last year, amidst much fanfare, after completing a €75 million move from Ajax. The Dutch international had just helped Ajax to their first Champions League semi-final in more than a decade.

Upon his arrival, De Jong was hailed as the answer to Barcelona's ageing midfield. But, Frenkie De Jong has so far failed to live up to his reputation. The midfielder has struggled to adjust to the new system and his new surroundings, looking a shadow of the player that ran the midfield in Ajax.

The Dutch midfielder has so far made 50 appearances for the Blaugrana and has found the net on two occasions. The arrival of Roald Koeman has already seen an improvement in De Jong performances.

Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho is finally showing signs of redisovering his old form under Koeman.
Coutinho is finally showing signs of redisovering his old form under Koeman.

The most expensive player in the history of Barcelona, Coutinho, joined Barcelona in 2018, completing a £142 million (including add-ons) move from Liverpool. The move ended months long transfer saga with Brazilian finally completing his dream move.

It looked like a match made in heaven. But, astonishingly, Coutinho struggled to adjust to his new surroundings. The Brazilian hardly looked like the player who was one of the best in the Premier League. Limited game-time and poor form saw Philippe Coutinho moving to Bayern Munich on loan last season.

The attacking midfielder has so far made 82 appearances and scored 23 goals in his three years at the club. It's still early days under Koeman, but the Brazilian is already showing signs of revival under the new manager.

Forwards

Ousmane Dembele

Another player who has struggled with injuries.
Another player who has struggled with injuries.

The first €100 million players to arrive at Barcelona, Dembele moved to the Catalan capital in 2017, completing a £135.5 million move (including add-ons) from Borussia Dortmund. The French winger arrived at Camp Nou as a replacement for PSG bound Neymar.

Ousmane Dembele, though, has so far failed to replace the dent in quality left by the Brazilian. It was a high risk move by the Blaugrana for a player who was already known to have injury problems.

The winger's time in Barcelona has been filled with injures. Dembele has spent more time injured than on the field. Since his move in 2017, the Frenchman has only made 80 appearances for the Blaugrana.

Antoine Griezmann

The Frenchman has struggled to reproduce his form following his move to the Catalan capital.
The Frenchman has struggled to reproduce his form following his move to the Catalan capital.

The third €100 million players in the Barcelona squad, Griezmann, arrived at Camp Nou last year following a controversial move from Atletico Madrid. The Frenchman moved to the Catalonia capital after Barcelona paid the €120 million release clause to Rojiblancos.

Despite his dream move to Nou Camp, It has not been smooth sailing for Antoinne Greizmann since his move. The Frenchman has struggled to reproduce the form that made him one of the most feared attackers in La Liga.

In 57 matches that the Frenchman has played since his move, he has only scored 17 goals. Griezmann will have to be better this season if he doesn't want to fall under the category of one of the most expensive flops in transfer history.

Luis Suarez

Suarez is one of the best ever to play for Barcelona.
Suarez is one of the best ever to play for Barcelona.

The best big-money signing made by Barcelona, Luis Suarez completed a much-anticipated move to the Catalan giants in 2014. The Uruguayan became the most expensive South American at that time after completing an £75 million move from Liverpool.

Suarez has been gold ever since his move to Spain. The Uruguayan had an instant effect on the Blaugrana as they completed their second treble with an outstanding attacktrio of Suarez, Messi, and Neymar.

Despite being one of their best players in this decade, the Uruguayan was sadly pushed out of Barcelona at the start of this season. During his six seasons at the club, Suarez made 283 appearances and scored an impressive 198 goals.

He left the club as Barcelona's third-highest goalscorer. Suarez's move to Atletico is already looking to be a bargain for the Rojiblancos, with the Uruguayan scoring five from his eight matches.

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Edited by Deepit Magee