SPAIN Farewell to two pillars Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Barca released a large amount of salary fund, increasing hopes of bringing Lionel Messi back.
In early May, midfielder Sergio Busquets confirmed his departure from Barca in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer, ending 15 years at the club. On May 24, Jordi Alba announced the same decision when terminating the contract a year early.
According to the Spanish newspaper AS , the separation of the two Spanish stars helped Barca free up a salary of nearly 45 million USD, and had more hope of signing a contract with Messi in the summer of 2023. At the end of April, the La Liga organizers vetoed Barca’s financial restructuring plan, causing Messi’s recruitment to face a big barrier.
Messi (No. 10) with Alba (No. 18) and Busquets in a training session when all three were still serving Barca. Photo: AFP
In the coming time, the owner of the Camp Nou will continue to purify the squad, with Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Raphinha or Franck Kessie on the list that can leave. In addition, Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet – after returning to the club because of the end of their loan contracts – will continue to be pushed to the transfer floor. Barca Universal commented that the Catalan club could bring Messi back to the Camp Nou if it “manages to have enough revenue from the sale of players”.
Dani Alves celebrates a goal with Messi when both were teammates
The separation of Busquets and Alba also helps Barca move towards signing new contracts of midfielder Gavi and defender Ronald Araujo, as well as extending the contracts of young stars Inaki Pena and Alejandro Balde. Before that, Barca was constantly in trouble because of the salary limit set by La Liga from the beginning of the year. In September 2022, Gavi signed a new contract with the first team until the summer of 2025, but La Liga ruled that Barca did not have enough financial resources to sign the 18-year-old Spaniard. As a result, Gavi was kicked out of the Barca first team, playing only as an academy player and at risk of being pulled in by other big clubs.
Alves and Messi when they were together serving Barca. Photo: Marca
Last month, sporting director Mateu Alemany reassured fans that Barca would soon resolve the issues to sign the new contracts of both Gavi and Araujo, both with release clauses of more than $1 billion. Currently, Barca’s case to the Commercial Court has not been resolved. But thanks to the farewell of Busquet, Alba, the financial pressure is now less stressful for Barca, and the contract of young stars is likely to be resolved at the end of the season.
Also on May 24, Barca announced an agreement with TP Vision , the company responsible for designing and manufacturing Philips products. Accordingly, Barca players will play with TV Amblight brand in hand from the match against Mallorca in round 37 of La Liga this weekend. Barca did not announce the sponsorship amount or the official duration of the contract, but Mundo Deportivo revealed the La Liga champions will receive more than $ 30 million under a three-year contract.
After winning La Liga, Barca soon embarked on transfer work. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano used the phrase “Here we go” to confirm that the Camp Nou owner had recruited Inigo Martinez from Athletic Bilbao on a free transfer. The 31-year-old Spanish midfielder has completed a medical examination and an official contract will be announced after this year’s season ends.