Barcelona Sporting Director sets age limit for transfers following scout meeting

New Barcelona Sporting Director Deco has been in the role for several months now, and with former Director of Football Mateu Alemany now out the door, has carte blanche to impose his own regime on the role.

The Brazilian-Portuguese and the club have decided that they need a major sale next summer in order to give them breathing room within their salary limit restrictions. Part of their transfer strategy for next summer will be aimed at avoiding a similar situation down the line too.

Deco has decided that Barcelona have fulfilled their quota of veterans in their current squad, and will not sign any more players over the age of 30, as per Sport. The fact that they retain little sell-on value will penalise the Blaugrana down the line.

🚨 Deco believes that the veteran quota has been met. No one above the age of 30 will be signed because they will be unsellable in the future. @sport pic.twitter.com/IWSUSrZPRm

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 3, 2023

Thus during a recent meeting with Barcelona’s scouts, it is noted that previously they were working without coordination in recent years between the Barca Atletic side, the senior side and the sporting management, Deco set out the criteria for players he wanted the scouting department to look for.

While they will not give up on older free agents, one of the most profitable areas of business in recent summers, Barcelona will look for players with an upwards trajectory, having signed three veterans over 30 this summer. They will then take decisions on who to pursue in November.

Currently the Barcelona squad has seven over-thirties players in their ranks, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marcos Alonso, Sergi Roberto, Inigo Martinez, Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu all in the lattern stages of their career. The good news for Barcelona is that only ter Stegen, Lewandowski and Gundogan are essential to the starting XI. The German goalkeeper will no doubt be around for some time, while Barcelona have plenty of young talent to replace Gundogan down the line, and in Vitor Roque, have already signed their Lewandowski replacement.