FC Barcelona miss out on target after contract is renewed

The perilous financial situation at FC Barcelona means the management team have to work under certain conditions and find creative ways to improve the playing squad.

This summer the La Liga champions spent under €5 million on permanent transfers and relied on free signings and loan options.

Inigo Martinez and Ilkay Gundogan were brought in on free transfers after their contracts expired, and Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo were introduced through the loan system after struggling to mesh with their current teams/managers.

If Barcelona was to compete going forward, they’re going to need to find more free transfers that improve the squad, at least while they work through their financial issues It’s fully expected that their transfer situation won’t improve for at least another 12 months.

We’ve seen a number of options mentioned over the last few weeks, but one name who won’t be arriving on a free transfer is Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen.

Chelsea extend the contract of Ian Maatsen amidst FC Barcelona’s interest

Ian Maatsen was believed to be a target of Barcelona with his contract set to expire next summer, but Chelsea have quietly renewed that contract for another year.

Barca have their first-choice left-back in Spanish star Alejandro Balde, but Marcos Alonso’s contract is set to expire next summer and there’s a good chance it doesn’t get renewed.

This is a blow to the transfer hopes of Barcelona, but they do have Álex Valle who is more than capable of stepping in at left-back. Currently on loan at Levante, Valle has impressed and it’s believed he’s in Xavi’s first-team plans.

Barcelona continues to be linked with big-money moves for players like Julian Alvarez, but that’s very unlikely with the current financial situation. But as Barca is a big club, agents will continue to use them to raise the profile of their clients and drum up interest.