FC Barcelona does not consider closed, far from it, the possibility of incorporating one or several players in the last week of the summer market. Despite the disappointment of not signing Nico Williams, the Barça board is clear that, between now and midnight on August 30, many things can happen. At least that's how Deco made it clear, who has been working all summer to close the files that prevent the team from signing normally.
"Will Nico come?" a culé fan asked the club's sports director. "I want him to come, but he doesn't want to come... But will anyone come?" he insisted. To this, the former Portuguese international's response was a categorical "Yes"; This is according to the information leaked by the chain 'COPE'. For Barça, the final week of the summer market promises to be very intense. Until 11:59 p.m. on August 30, players can arrive or leave and the club does not close the doors to adding, if possible, a couple more reinforcements this summer, as long as there is sufficient salary margin.
Gündogan's departure opens the door to at least one reinforcement at Barça
In that sense, the imminent departure of Ílkay Gündogan promises to be decisive in unlocking the Barça market. The German would release 18 million euros gross corresponding to his salary, in addition to leaving a similar amount in cash with his transfer. At first, the '22' seemed reluctant to leave, but Pep Guardiola's interest in bringing him back to Manchester City has given a 180-degree turn to the negotiations in just 48 hours. For Barça, both the Gelsenkirchen player and Frenkie de Jong were transferable assets due to their emoluments and the balance ended up tipping towards the former captain of the 'mannschaft'.
At the moment, the possibility of going for a midfielder and a left-footed winger is still on the table, although the priority is to incorporate a winger. In the last few hours, the Italian Federico Chiesa (Juventus) and the Portuguese Rafael Leao (AC Milan) have been mentioned, two radically opposite alternatives in terms of economics. In principle, the Italian represents a real 'bargain', since his transfer would be around 20-30 'kilos'. On the other hand, the Portuguese's price can go up to €90M, a figure that is difficult to reach for Barça, even with LaLiga's 'ok' to sign under the 1/1 rule. With respect to a defender, Joao Cancelo's option seems to disappear, thus maintaining the commitment to Koundé and Balde as undisputed for the position.