Barcelona are facing an important summer ahead of them as they try to fix their financial woes without jeopardising their ability to compete. As ever with the Blaugrana, nothing is as simple as it seems, and a recent meeting with Jorge Mendes appears to be evidence of exactly that.
The Portuguese super-agent was spotted having lunch in Barcelona on Tuesday with the hierarchy at the Blaugrana, but did not reveal the reason behind his trip when asked. Bar Canaletes have since revealed that one of the themes was Saudi Arabia.
Reportedly Mendes is trying to find an exit route for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix and Barcelona winger Raphinha, currently on loan in Catalonia too. However so far his attempts to do so have been without success. Atletico Madrid are also keen to move Felix on, and currently it is expected that he will return on loan to Barcelona.
Según hemos podido saber Jorge Mendes está intentando infructuosamente desde hace meses colocar a Raphinha y Joao Felix en Arabia.
Pero es que los saudíes de tontos no tienen un pelo. pic.twitter.com/UwROuyUX0m— Bar Canaletes (@BarCanaletes) March 5, 2024
This comes off the back of a prior report that none of Barcelona’s potential major assets in Frenkie de Jong or Ronald Araujo want to leave the club this summer, while Robert Lewandowski and Andreas Christensen have also made it clear that they want to stay.
The gap between Barcelona’s wage bill and their salary limit was €130m this summer, and if they cannot raise sufficient funds or make further savings, it threatens to have serious consequences. Beyond bringing in new players, Vitor Roque, Gavi and Inigo Martinez still need to be registered in order to play next season.
🔴Flamante nuevo episodio 02×23 de @BarCanaletes ya disponible en @YouTube una hora dedicada al mundo Barça https://t.co/ewjLFvL1b9
— Bar Canaletes (@BarCanaletes) March 5, 2024
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1-2, 4-1 rcst sbhm mng with prfnd mntl issus n autsm 🤣🫵