Barcelona‘s major ambition for the forthcoming summer transfer window is to recruit a striker, with the club putting all of its efforts into raising the necessary funds.
Inflation, on the other hand, has had an impact on the market, with the cost of good products skyrocketing in recent months. In the meanwhile, Barcelona must sell players like Philippe Coutinho, Miralem Pjanic, Samuel Umtiti, Antoine Griezmann, and Francisco Trincao to clear room in their salary cap.
Barcelona and Lewandowski
Following Bayern Munich’s Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Villarreal, Robert Lewandowski is one of the possible targets. His quality is undeniable, but his price tag is hefty, and it’s unclear whether Barcelona will opt for Lewandowski as a short-term solution or a young, potential attacker. The Polish striker has one year left on his Bayern Munich contract, and his price tag is projected to be around 60 million euros, a hefty sum given that he will turn 34 in August.
It will be interesting to watch what the German club does in his situation. Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn recently stated that he is unconcerned about the situation. All of the rumors about multiple clubs being interested in the striker have not affected the team’s plans, according to Kahn, who stated that they want to renew his contract.
Similarly, Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi, is working hard to secure the best possible financial deal for his client. Zahavi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta has a good working connection and has done business together in the past. Barcelona can play the Zahavi card if they have the financial means to sign him. However, the striker from Poland is not their only option.
Erling Haaland and Others
Barcelona has been attempting to sign Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund for a long time, and Laporta has met with his agent Mino Raiola on multiple occasions.
Xavi Hernandez also spoke with the 21-year-old to discuss his future ambitions at Barcelona. Haaland prefers the idea of joining Barcelona, although he’s also been courted by other major clubs with better financial resources, such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
Barcelona’s main issue is that they can’t compete in financial terms with the elite European clubs, who can invest more money in funding such a move. The Catalans are in talks to strike a deal with the CVC investment fund, but even if they receive a financial boost from there, they will still need to offload certain players.
A move for Haaland could cost Barcelona around 250m euros, of which 75m euros would be the transfer fee paid to Dortmund. They will also need to cover his salary demands and offer Raiola around 60m euros in terms of his commission.
Such three choices are also thought to be pricey. Rafael Leao is Laporta’s favorite of the three, but AC Milan has stated that they would not sell him and that they intend to extend his contract, with a price tag of 50 million euros.
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