Barcelona are set to be hamstrung by their financial restrictions this summer, and will be some way off competitive with the market’s big guns for some time. With the squad in need of immediate reinforcements, yet unable to compete for many top talents, it opens up a debate for the club.
The case in point being the forward position. Robert Lewandowski was signed by Barcelona for €45m last summer in order to bring some immediate star quality to a side desperately lacking in exactly that. Knowing they could not afford to sign the likes of Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe, Barcelona had to content themselves with a star at the back end of their career.
Yet with Lewandowski already 34, the Blaugrana are forced to consider how they will substitute him long-term just one summer later. They look to be interested in Vitor Roque to do so, but he looks as if he will already cost similar to Lewandowski, despite being 18 and untested at the top level.
It opens up a debate on how much should Barcelona invest in talents for the future. Case in point being Gianluca Prestianni. The 17-year-old was all but a done deal before then Technical Secretary Ramon Planes left, but talks then broke down, as per Sport. He will now cost at least €10m (his release clause), but Barcelona wuold have to compete with other elite clubs for the signature of the extremely talented Velez Sarsfield winger. Had they done the deal originally, it would have been much cheaper.
Having seen the likes of Pedri, Ronald Araujo and now Ez Abde turn into smart investments, and in the case of the first two, major components of the first team, it asks the question – how much of Barcelona’s limited budget should be set aside for projects, as opposed to immediate recruits?
Now that Barcelona have shown they can compete for at least the La Liga title, the sense of urgency is a little less than it was before. If Barcelona are lacking money, then the smart plan would be to invest in players that are going to gain value down the line.
Equally, it could cost them both significant sums in the present and even titles, as has been seen in European competition if Barcelona do not arm their side properly.
Ultimately the pressure is on Xavi Hernandez to ensure that he is bringing through youngsters, which eases pressure on the finances at Barcelona. If they can find the space in their budget for one or two projects each season, it will likely pay dividends down the line.
