Some found it hard to believe, given their financial struggles, but Barcelona are having a big summer. Their chief rivals in the title race appear to be having a relatively quiet window, but that may just the way they wanted it.
The Catalans have so far added four senior signings in Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on a free, before bringing in Brazilian winger Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski in blockbuster deals.
Los Blancos missed out on Kylian Mbappe in a high-profile fashion, but since have signed Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger.
Speaking to Caught Offside, Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano was asked who in Europe was having the best window, explaining his thoughts on both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“It’s hard to pick one club, but so far this summer Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City have been excellent,”
“Raphinha and Lewandowski, combined with Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie coming in for free, are top level signings.”
“Real Madrid needed a few things, and I think Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger are often underestimated: they are two fantastic signings, made with perfect timing.”
“Man City were smart with Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips, exactly what they needed, and not hugely expensive. Despite losing Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho, and possibly soon Oleksandr Zinchenko, they still look very strong.”
Barcelona will likely look to continue strengthening their defence. At times last season they were choosing to line-up with the same starting defence as in the 2015 Champions League final.
Real Madrid appear to be in the process of tying a few lose ends, namely the futures of Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio, but Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed they won’t do further business.