Barcelona’s three January transfer window priorities revealed

Robin Bairner

• 21 Dec 2022 22:45 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona may find it complicated to make signings during the January transfer window, but that does not mean to say that Xavi’s club will not be making moves to secure their long-term future at the top of the Spanish and European football.

Saddled with debt, Financial Fair Play (FFP) requirements are liable to make it difficult for Barca to make new signings without players first leaving, and the club have played down the prospect of players such as Memphis Depay moving on.

Instead, they will turn their focus to keeping what they already have – particularly with the rich abundance of young talent in the first-team squad.

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Gavi and Ronald Araujo are the leading two priorities for Barcelona to work on.

Both players have agreed new deals until 2026 but these have not been ratified by La Liga, so Barca find themselves working on having ratified and made official, according to Mundo Deportivo. The players came to an accord over these contracts in September and April respectively, and though the club considers these deals to be in effect, the league does not.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are also reportedly close to reaching agreements with Inaki Pena and Alejandro Balde, with the deals both effectively agreed. However, the salaries of these players will not be able to be registered with the league due to FFP considerations, so these deals are seen as secondary.

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Alonso set for extension

Marcos Alonso is set to have his contract extended. He arrived on a one-year deal purely because of FFP considerations. The former Chelsea man signed on the understanding that he would receive a contract extension in January, which is in line to be agreed upon imminently.

On the other hand, Mundo Deportivo reports, the same cannot be said of Hector Bellerin, whose arrival from Arsenal has proven to be something of a disaster, with the former Arsenal man having played just 347 minutes across all competitions.

Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets are also out of contract at the end of the season.