Barcelona to make transfer decisions on three players this week
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has already mentioned that he will be having a long conversation with Director of Football Deco about changes to his squad this summer, and that those conversations will begin this week ahead of their final game this week with Athletic Club. It will begin with the loan players that Barcelona have returning this season.
The Blaugrana currently have three players out on loan from the senior side: Clement Lenglet at Atletico Madrid, Oriol Romeu at Girona and Alex Valle at Como. Diario AS say that Hansi Flick will discuss their future this week with Deco, but that the only one that has much chance of playing under Flick next season is Valle. The 21-year-old spent the year on loan at Celtic for the first half of the year, before moving to Cesc Fabregas' Como, where he became a starter in Serie A.
Clement Lenglet's uncertain Atletico Madrid future
Ansu Fati and Inaki Pena are both expected to leave this summer, and Lenglet will likely follow them out the door. The French centre-back reportedly extended his deal with Barcelona until 2028 in order to reduce the impact of his salary on their books, before leaving on loan to Atletico Madrid.
Advertisement
Already in January it was being reported that Los Rojiblancos would try to keep him, but that interest has cooled somewhat, and now it seems less certain. Atletico are expected to negotiate the price down to close to zero if they are to retain him.
Image via EFE
Oriol Romeu out of contract after Girona spell
Veteran midfielder Oriol Romeu had a bit-part role in his first season under Xavi Hernandez, but returned on loan to Girona last summer. He is out of contract this summer, and is not expected to renew his deal with the club.
https://rwitter.com/barcacentre/status/1924398240868290986
Como will try to buy Alex Valle outright
Valle might be the only one with a chance to return, but not if Como have anything to do with it. They have a €6m buy clause they are expected to exercise at the end of the season, although one factor could be an exit for Fabregas, which might change both his and Como's position.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
24 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Kane saves England from embarrassment against Andorra in World Cup qualifying
BARCELONA, Spain — England needed a second-half goal from Harry Kane to secure a 1-0 win over lowly Andorra and maintain a perfect record under Thomas Tuchel after three World Cup qualifiers on Saturday. England was held scoreless by a team ranked 173rd in the world until Kane redirected a pass from Noni Madueke into the top of the net in the 50th minute after the Bayern Munich striker's initial effort was saved by goalkeeper Iker Álvarez.
New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
Andorra 0 England 1 – Tuchel's men largely underwhelming, might they regret narrow win?
England endured a largely frustrating evening in Barcelona, as they scraped a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Andorra. Thomas Tuchel's team would have expected to rack up a more convincing score line against a team ranked 173rd in the world, but ended up with just Harry Kane's second-half goal to show for their efforts. Advertisement The result leaves England top of their qualifying group but improved performances will surely be required later in the campaign. The Athletic's Dan Sheldon and Rob Tanner assess the key talking points… What is it with England and being unable to score against Andorra in Barcelona in the first 45 minutes of a match? If Tuchel had been doing his research, then he may have felt that returning to dressing room for the interval with the game goalless was par for the course. On previous visits, Steve McClaren's England had to wait until Steven Gerrard broke the deadlock in the 54th minute in March 2007, with Fabio Capello's team relying on a second-half brace from Joe Cole 18 months later. What Tuchel wouldn't have expected, however, is for his players to have been booed off the pitch by the travelling England supporters — especially after he spoke about suffocating Andorra with their attacking play in the build up to the match. It should be said, the booing wasn't quite as venomous as in 2007 or 2008. The ever-reliable Kane, making his 106th appearance for his national team, turned home Noni Madueke's cross to inject some life back into the fans who had to put up with a turgid first half performance. Although England ultimately did get their win, Tuchel, who has previously spoken about the need for patience, will know their performances need to improve if they are going to have any chance of making a successful tilt at next year's World Cup. Dan Sheldon When England finally made the breakthrough against Andorra, a footballing nation ranked by FIFA as 173rd in the world, it wasn't surprising that it was Harry Kane who scored his 72nd international goal. It also wasn't a shock that the assist came from Noni Madueke, the only player to provide genuine width to England's stuttering attack. Advertisement In the modern game there has become an obsession with wide players who can 'play on the inside.' The trend is for wide players who don't really play wide, but can step infield and deliver with their stronger foot from the opposite flank, but as Madueke showed in Thomas Tuchel's third game in charge England, there is still a valuable place for wingers who can hug the touchline, stretch the pitch and attack defenders. Time and again, the Chelsea attacker was England's most serious threat. While his teammates tried to string together intricate passing moves in congested areas, Madueke was the one who could find space and look like really troubling the opposition defence. Andorra were far too comfortable and England far too predictable as they probed, especially from the right flank where Curtis Jones, the right back, was playing more as an attacking central midfielder. England looked imbalanced as a result. Against deep-sitting defences, using every inch of the width of the pitch is key to stretch them, but only Madueke was able to do so. Rob Tanner It may be another three points on the road to the US/Canada/Mexico, but there is no disguising the fact that England's slender win in Andorra won't exactly have set pulses racing back home. England were never in danger of breaking their clean sheet record under Thomas Tuchel, but they were expected to register a few more in the For column than they delivered in Barcelona and it will draw criticism. For a squad so awash with attacking talent, what they served up in terms of goalscoring intent will be a concern, especially in a group that appears to be between two sides – England and Serbia. The outcome will obviously come down to the games between the two favourites, but should goal difference become a factor for any reason England have missed a golden opportunity to lay down a marker. Advertisement Credit to Andorra for defending so diligently, but the hosts were also completely let off the hook by an England side that huffed and puffed to create clear cut chances, despite 20 efforts on goal and ten on target. To register just one goal is a big disappointment and England lacked inspiration and a ruthless instinct that the truly great international sides possess. Tuchel and co. will hope it doesn't come back to haunt them, however unlikely that may be, but complacency could be their biggest threat in this group. Rob Tanner We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match news conference. Tuesday, June 10: Senegal (H), friendly, 7.45pm UK, 2.45pm ET
Associated Press
37 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Kane saves England from embarrassment against Andorra in World Cup qualifying
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — England needed a second-half goal from Harry Kane to secure a 1-0 win over lowly Andorra and maintain a perfect record under Thomas Tuchel after three World Cup qualifiers on Saturday. England was held scoreless by a team ranked 173rd in the world until Kane redirected a pass from Noni Madueke into the top of the net in the 50th minute after the Bayern Munich striker's initial effort was saved by goalkeeper Iker Álvarez. It was goal No. 72 in his 106th appearance for the Three Lions. Tuchel's side remained top of Europe's Group K with nine points after wins against Albania and Latvia. They have yet to concede a goal under the German coach. Andorra is winless. England dominated possession and Eberechi Eze went close to a second goal when he forced Álvarez to tip his header of the bar as the visitors couldn't extend the lead. England had won its previous six meetings with Andorra by a combined score of 25-0. The game was played at Espanyol's stadium in Barcelona, nearly three hours south of the Pyrenees principality — which has a population of around 80,000 — due to concerns that work on Andorra's home stadium wouldn't be finished in time. Ezri Konsa had to block a late shot by Andorra's Guillaume Lopez to prevent the chance of an equalizer. Only the group winners qualify directly for next year's tournament in North America. The second-placed teams go into a playoffs. Europe will have 16 teams in the expanded 48-team field for the World Cup. The group stage of European qualifying runs through November. ___ AP soccer:
