Barcelona Transfer Summary: Many Transfer Bubbles Burst, Only Introductions but Sold Over Ten Players

In this summer transfer window, Barcelona did not carry out large-scale squad adjustments. Their main task was to replace the head coach, with Flick taking over from Xavi, and a comprehensive reform of the coaching staff and fitness training team was also carried out. Sporting Director Deco originally planned to sign a reliable defensive midfielder and a strong left winger, and hoped to retain Joao Felix and Cancelo. However, due to Barcelona’s unique operating model in the transfer market and the yet-to-be-restored “1:1 rule,” coupled with player registration issues, the club ultimately failed to fully achieve all its transfer targets.

In terms of signings, Barcelona eventually only introduced two attackers: Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.

Pau Victor is a forward from Barcelona’s B team who had previously been loaned to Girona. Initially, Barcelona opted against exercising their 3 million euros buyout option, but later renegotiated with Girona and signed him for 2.7 million euros. He performed excellently in pre-season and got some playing time in the first round of the league.

Olmo is Barcelona’s biggest signing this summer. As a versatile player, he can play in any position up front. Flick played him in the role behind Lewandowski in the match against Rayo Vallecano. After tough negotiations with Leipzig, Barcelona signed him for 55 million euros. Due to registration issues, Olmo missed the first two rounds of matches and was finally registered after Christensen’s long-term injury.

In the pursuit of a left winger, Barcelona encountered some setbacks. Nico Williams rejected the opportunity to join Barcelona. When the club sought other alternatives, financial conditions and “fair play” regulations became obstacles. In the last few weeks of the transfer window, Barcelona negotiated with Juventus for Federico Chiesa’s transfer but ultimately failed to reach an agreement. The pursuit of Luis Diaz and Rafael Leao also fell through for various reasons.

Similarly, Barcelona did not find a suitable candidate for the defensive midfield position. Barcelona attempted to sign Kimmich but failed. The club also considered Zubimendi and Merino from Real Sociedad, Onana from Everton, and free agent Guido Rodriguez, but ultimately abandoned these options.

Flick trusted Bernal, who performed excellently, but after getting injured in the game against Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona tried to loan Bajetic from Liverpool but failed.

In terms of player sales, Barcelona continued to lighten the team’s burden during this summer transfer window, with some unexpected departures, such as Gundogan’s departure.

Barcelona earned some revenue from selling players:

Mika Fey moved to Rennes for 10.3 million euros.

Julián Araujo moved to Bournemouth for 10 million euros.

The two transfers of Chadli Riad left Barcelona with 9 million euros.

Mark Giu moved to Chelsea for 6 million euros.

Estanis Pedro Raul moved to Sampdoria for 3 million euros.

Additionally, Barcelona sent some players away on loan:

Vitor Roque (Betis)

Lenglet (Atletico Madrid)

Oriol Romeu (Girona)

Alex Vale (Celtic)

Dest, Sergi Roberto, and Marcos Alonso all left after their contracts expired, while Gundogan terminated his contract to leave.

Felix and Cancelo’s loans ended on June 30, and Barcelona could not keep them.

Barcelona had hoped to sell more players to raise funds, but some potential sale targets were either injured (such as Araujo, De Jong, Christensen) or refused to leave (such as Rafinha).

Barcelona’s summer transfer window has both gains and regrets. While they signed capable players like Olmo, they also failed to meet all their recruitment needs, which is related to the club’s unique transfer strategy and “fair play” rules.