No Leverage! Spanish Media: Barca’s Dream of Signing Leao Crushed; No Major Moves in Final Stages

According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, Barcelona will not be able to implement financial levers in the final stages of the transfer window. This means that the club will not be able to complete any significant signings before the transfer window closes. Targets that Barca had considered, such as Leao and Nico Williams, have now become names of dreams rather than feasible options.

According to sources within the club, although a new sponsorship deal with Nike is largely settled, it will not take effect immediately and is expected to be officially announced in early September. This sponsorship deal was crucial for Barcelona as it could have provided the club with sufficient ‘fair play’ space to support major signings. However, due to the delay, signings like Leao and Nico Williams have become impossible.

Moreover, the funds the club aimed to acquire by selling stakes in its subsidiary companies have not materialized as hoped. Although partner Aramark has paid part of the amount, it has not settled all accounts. This has led to Barcelona failing to comply with the 1:1 financial fair play rule and facing penalties. If this payment had arrived on time, while not enough to support major signings, it would at least have given the club some room to maneuver in the transfer market.

Despite previous promises from club president Laporta to meet the 1:1 financial regulations before the end of summer, the actual situation has not met the target. This has left the sporting director Deco with limited options in terms of signings, especially when trying to bring in players like Olmo. With only two days left in the transfer window, Barcelona has almost no room for maneuver. The team lacks the necessary ‘fair play’ space to register new players, and due to injury issues, the squad depth has been reduced. Additionally, the club does not plan to sell existing players.

Deco is currently looking for affordable players. His main goal is to sign a central defender, but due to Bernal’s injury, midfielders have also become a new point of need. However, under the current circumstances, the possibility of completing signings is very low.

Regarding the option of guarantees, the management seems unwilling to continue using this method to bring in players as they have done in the past. They could provide guarantees for registering star players like Olmo, but for minor signings, the likelihood is slim.