March 28, (THEWILL) – Barcelona intends to sell a handful of first-team players this summer and negotiate wage reductions with those who remain, in order to improve their financial situation.
Despite their well-documented financial difficulties, Barcelona are certain that they can fight for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, while Mohamed Salah has been mentioned as a possible Plan B, if his contract negotiations with Liverpool drag on.
Both deals would be too expensive, so Marca predicts that more salary cuts would be necessary as the summer progresses, with some linking Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski to Camp Nou as a cheaper alternative to the duo.
Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba have already been approached about reducing or deferring their pay for next season.
Barcelona intends to follow in the footsteps of Samuel Umtiti, who was awarded a new four-year contract in January that spread out the money he was due to earn under his old contract, which had only 18 months left.
However, Umtiti is one of a handful of players, who have been told they are free to leave at the conclusion of the season. Along with the Frenchman, Neto, Sergi Roberto, Clement Lenglet, Oscar Mingueza, Riqui Puig, Martin Braithwaite, and Luuk de Jong are all expected to leave Barcelona.
Dani Alves’ contract ends in the summer, but he is anticipated to sign a short-term extension, and Wolves loanee Adama Traore, who is only expected to join permanently if Francisco Trincao moves in the opposite direction, both require final choices.
Memphis Depay also wants guarantees on his playing time, with a number of clubs circling him if he does not obtain them. Tottenham has been connected with the Dutchman recently and he could be one of those heading out in the overhauling process.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
