- 5 hours ago
Desperate Barcelona put €120m of talent up for sale in January
Barcelona are ready to listen to offers for any of their players during the January transfer window, with Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, in particular, tipped to attract major interest.
The Catalan side are in dire need of a financial injection, with the debt of the club still soaring even after significant investment over the course of the last 18 months.
Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions continue to hamper their actions in the transfer market but it is hoped that player sales can aid them in finding some breathing space.
Barcelona’s situation has been complicated by the non-payment of €40 million from German investment fund Libero for a portion of Barca Studios, and with the belief that this money will not be forthcoming, the club is rushing to plug the shortfall.
The easiest way of doing this is to sell players, and Relevo says that president Joan Laporta is ready to listen to offers for the entire squad.
Lewandowski, Kounde and Christensen on the transfer list?
The three players who Barcelona are most willing to sell are Lewandowski, Kounde and Christensen, according to the report.
The reasoning is that these players are likely to attract interest on the open market and will all be able to raise substantial sums.
According to FootballTransfers’ algorithm, these players are among the most valuable in Barcelona’s squad. Kounde has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €53 million, while Christensen sits at €30m and Lewandowski’s is at €34m.
Combined, Barca can hope to raise nearly €120m by selling these players.
Furthermore, Lewandowski and Kounde have not been in good form lately, with both previously having been deemed untransferable. On top of this, Christensen is not typically a starter.
There has been interest from Saudi Arabia in Lewandowski, while Kounde continues to have a big reputation among Premier League clubs.
Nevertheless, the January transfer window is typically a difficult time to sell players, so it will not be a formality that any of these stars will leave.