The Catalan centre of financial juggling is about to open again as Barcelona prepare for the January transfer window, with the usual number of questions surrounding the clubs current position and stability.
The Blaugrana avoided bankruptcy last year thanks to some swift money moving and corporate activity, attracting sponsorship and delaying the registration of some players. And at the beginning of this campaign club president Joan Laporta claimed the club was on the road to normality. The appointment of Hansi Flick proved to be a masterstroke as the former Germany and Bayern Munich manager led Barca to an electrifying start to the 2024/25 La Liga campaign and they led until very recently. But defeat to Atletico Madrid in their last outing, handed the top spot to Los Rojiblancos for Christmas. But the latest La Liga 2024 betting odds make this a three horse race, with Real Madrid also in the trio and the Catalans believe they have every chance of keeping up with the pace in the second half of the campaign.
While Laporta was bullish about the club’s financial strength Barca’s summer dealings were modest, the big money signing of Euro 2024 hero Dani Olmo being the only headline-grabber. But, as we reported here at SBOTOP recently, the big question of whether Olmo and Pau Victor can be registered to play in the second half of the campaign reared its head after the club lost an appeal in a Barcelona court last week. They still have hopes of resolving the situation before the New Year deadline and some La Liga 2024 news emanating from Barcelona on Monday suggests Laporta may have pulled another rabbit out of the hat. The Spanish press has reported that the president is very near to securing a 100m Euros deal with a Qatari fund to buy VIP boxes at the newly renovated Camp Nou Stadium.
If the ink dries on this deal then midfielder Olmo and winger Victor might be able to register in time, and that would be a huge boost to the Blaugrana.
And then, while Flick would love to bring new blood into his squad, the priority has to be to tie down the unbelievable young talent there is at the club, particularly in the attacking unit. 17 year old winger Lamine Yamal has been reported to be ready to extend his current deal, which expires in 2026, for another four years until the end of the decade. And surely club bosses will be keen to get similar commitments from Pedri and Gavi who could easily dominate the midfields of both Spain and Barcelona for the next ten years. They only have 18 months to run on their contracts and both players have admirers among the top clubs in Europe’s top leagues.
As well as looking after the youngsters there is a strong case for offering Brazil star Raphinha an improved deal after his superb first half of the campaign as, at the age of 28 the winger will be ready to decide where he spends the next five years, but there are some players Flick will be keen to move on. After spending last season on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion the time may be right for forward Ansu Fati to seek a permanent move elsewhere and midfielder Frenkie de Jong is another player who could be on his way.
The Blaugrana have a chance to establish a new group of title winners with one or two smart additions and, if they can free some space in the squad as well as carefully managing its wage bill, then Flick may get his wish and bring in some reinforcements. The Spanish media reported on Monday that Barcelona are already weighing up a move for Corinthians midfielder Breno Bidon. The 19 year old Brazilian has been watched by the Catalans and Barca club officials who were in Brazil to see the Copinha final between Corinthians and Cruzeiro at the start of the year.
While Bidon is another bright young star for the future, Barcelona will also be working on the free agency market in the New Year, with a number of big names players moving into the last six months of their current contract. One such player is Bayer Leverkusen centre back Jonathan Tah who has been on the Blaugrana’s radar for some time. The 6ft 5in colossus was a key figure for Die Werkself during their historic 2024 Bundesliga winning season and he is well known to Flick from the manager’s stint as Germany boss.
Reports in Spain suggest talks are underway and progressing well; and the immediate outcome could be the 28 year old star signing a pre-contract agreement which would best suit Barcelona’s financial situation, and it would allow Leverkusen to seek a replacement.
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