Barcelona sent shockwaves through Spanish football on Tuesday when they announced that Mateu Alemany would be leaving his role as the club’s Director of Football at the end of the season.
Alemany cited a “new professional project” as his reasons for leaving Barcelona, with a move to Aston Villa expected for next season. He would link up with former Sevilla and Villarreal head coach Unai Emery, who took over at the Premier League side earlier this season.
According to Cadena SER, Alemany currently earns a salary of €1.4m per year at Barcelona, but when he makes the move to Aston Villa, his fixed base salary is expected to quadruple, with his overall wage set to be €5-6m.
Given their current financial worries, Barcelona cannot afford to compete with Aston Villa, and this will ultimately see Alemany depart in the summer.
Barcelona are already looking for Alemany’s replacement, and former player Deco appears to be the leading candidate. The Portuguese is expected to jet in for talks next week.
