Xavi: I have told Barcelona what we need in January
Martin Macdonald
- 11 Dec 2021 17:09 GMT
- 3 min read
Xavi has made it clear to Barcelona exactly what his squad needs in the upcoming January transfer window.
The Blaugrana are in a terrible state both on and off the pitch currently, as although Xavi's return to the club as boss brought some positivity back, they are still €1.3 billion in debt, while their performances and results continue to be sub-standard.
On Wednesday evening, they were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage for the first time in 21 years.
TRENDING
Barca headed into the final game of the groups knowing that they had to better Benfica's result against Dynamo Kyiv, which meant getting something away at Bayern Munich.
It was a must-win game for Barcelona, but they were easily defeated by the German giants, who barely broke a sweat as they emerged as 3-0 victors.
In La Liga, they are a massive 16 points off the pace of leaders Real Madrid, and six points off the Champions League qualification positions.
They have been linked with a number of players in the transfer window, but they crucially need to offload a number of current stars first to bring down their wage bill.
“We’re working on it, that’s the reality,” Xavi said on Saturday when asked about bringing in new faces.
“There’s a lot of trust and we had a productive meeting. I was clear about what I believe, what I want and what I need. We have to find solutions to improve the team and improve the squad.
"I understand what the club’s situation is due to the wage bill and the limitations that imposes, but we have to improve our squad within the possibilities we have."
Who do Barcelona want to sign?
The player that Barcelona have most frequently been linked with recently is Manchester City forward Ferran Torres.
However, it seems unlikely that the transfer will happen in January as the Premier League giants are reportedly asking for €60m for Torres, while the most Barcelona are prepared to pay is €45m,
And, even at that price, the money would actually be exchanged in the summer and not in January.
Xavi's priority to improve the squad is in the attack, specifically someone effective as a centre-forward.
They have been linked with a raft of forwards in the press, including Anthony Martial, Raheem Sterling, Anthony Martial and Karim Adeyemi.
In more fantastical reports, they have been linked with Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland.
As mentioned above, however, Barcelona will need to try and sell as many fringe players as possible.
Samuel Umtiti, Philippe Coutinho, Luuk de Jong and Martin Braithwaite are the main squad members they are looking to offload.
