Barcelona line up World Cup star as summer signing heads for exit

Stuart Telford

• 4 Mar 2023 14:52 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona have not given up hope of bolstering their squad next summer, even though La Liga chief Javier Tebas has told them they can't sign any new players.

Barca have a €200 million deficit they need to address before La Liga will let them complete any new transfers, with Manchester United in particular on high alert as they pursue Frenkie de Jong and Ansu Fati.

"As of today, Barcelona doesn't have any room in its budget to spend in the upcoming transfer window," Tebas said at the Financial Times' Business of Football summit on Thursday.

READ: Frenkie de Jong to Man Utd: could Barcelona's financial crisis force a transfer?

But they remain keen on Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat, who helped Morocco into the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar in December.

And De Jong isn't the only midfielder who could be sold to raise funds at Camp Nou, with Franck Kessie also nearing a return to Italy just a season on from arriving on a free transfer from AC Milan.

Barca 'haven't let go'

"The truth is that Barcelona have not let go," report Italian transfer specialist site TuttoMercatoWeb. "They remain in contact with Amrabat's agents with the clear intention of discussing his possible arrival in June.

"This goes in hand in glove with Kessie, who could be ask to be sold at the end of the season with the clear intention to returning to Italy, with Inter Milan coveting the player."

READ: Liverpool transfer target Amrabat spotted at Barcelona's Camp Nou

Amrabat was pictured at Camp Nou, as a fan, during the January transfer window, but any attempt to force a move were futile with Fiorentina unwilling to sell and Barcelona unable to buy.

The Dutch-born midfielder is out of contract in June, but Fiorentina have a club option to extend his stay by another year. They are reportedly optimistic of him signing fresh terms as long as there was an affordable release clause included.

If Kessie could be persuaded to join Fiorentina instead of Inter, Barca could even have the perfect makeweight.