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Barcelona : Éric Abidal prioritises Thiago signing for summer transfer window

By Chiranjib Ghosh

Bayern Munich's Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara runs with the ball during the German Cup DFB Pokal final football match FC Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on May 19, 2018. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: ACCORDING TO DFB RULES IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED DURING MATCH TIME. MOBILE (MMS) USE IS NOT ALLOWED DURING AND FOR FURTHER TWO HOURS AFTER THE MATCH. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DFB DIRECTLY AT +49 69 67880 / (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich's Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara runs with the ball during the German Cup DFB Pokal final football match FC Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on May 19, 2018. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: ACCORDING TO DFB RULES IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED DURING MATCH TIME. MOBILE (MMS) USE IS NOT ALLOWED DURING AND FOR FURTHER TWO HOURS AFTER THE MATCH. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DFB DIRECTLY AT +49 69 67880 / (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images) /
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The roadmap for the transfer window has been formulated

BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 19: Thiago Alcantara of Bayern Muenchen in action during the DFB Cup final between Bayern Muenchen and Eintracht Frankfurt at Olympiastadion on May 19, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 19: Thiago Alcantara of Bayern Muenchen in action during the DFB Cup final between Bayern Muenchen and Eintracht Frankfurt at Olympiastadion on May 19, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /

At the first meeting between the members of the executive management, namely Pep Segura, Ernesto Valverde, Éric Abidal and Ramón Planes, a roadmap for this season’s summer transfer window was formulated.

The signing of ex-Culé Thiago Alcântara has been prioritised by the management. The 27-year old midfielder was earlier linked with a move to the Camp Nou, but the club cooled its interested after Bayern Munich demanded €70 million for his services.

But the club will now go head-to-head with fierce rivals Real Madrid in the battle for the Spanish international’s signature. Thiago is going to be the club’s primary target for the summer, after the move to sign Atlético forward Antoine Griezmann fell through.

Real Madrid want Thiago as a replacement for Mateo Kovačić, who wants to leave Los Blancos. But his release clause has scared off other clubs and it seems that the Croatian is set to stay at the Santiago Bernabéu.

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This puts Barcelona in the driving to secure his signature. The La Masia graduate will have to compete with Ivan Rakitić for a permanent spot in the first-team, but he is expected to get plenty of playing time.

Thiago could the actual successor to Xavi. His high work rate, passing skills and dribbling make him one of the best midfielders in Europe and the 27-year old is familiar to the club, having spent 8 years at the Camp Nou.

But the fee Bayern is demanding is excessive. This will be Éric Abidal’s first real test as technical secretary at the club. He will need to negotiate an appropriate fee, in the region of €50 million, for the transfer to be reasonable. One way of doing that is by including Lucas Digne in the deal.

The Frenchman will also need to negotiate personal terms with Thiago’s father and agent, Mazinho. Luckily, Mazinho also represents his other son and he shares a cordial relationship with the club, despite having failed to convince the management to lower its asking price for Rafinha.

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But at this point in time, Barcelona is ahead of Real Madrid in the race for Thiago’s signature.

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