FC Barcelona will hold an assembly of delegate members this Saturday, October 19, where Joan Laporta hopes to have the 2024/25 budget approved, in addition to providing the financial details of the previous year. Before the meeting, the Barça president spoke on Barça One about the club's current affairs and, in relation to sales and signings, he showed his chest for his management, emphasizing Lamine Yamal and the offers that the club has received for the youth player.
"We know how to sell and whoever comes to buy players must present themselves. We want those who want to play here to stay. They came to buy Lamine for 250 million and I said no," explained the Barça president. In that sense, he reiterated the club's position with respect to its references, figures and youth players. "There are those who think that transfers are to balance the result, but that is not the case," he began by saying.
Furthermore, he added: "The sale of players that we have made has been for sporting reasons. Dembélé, Guiu... Like at Barça you are nowhere to be found." For Laporta, Barça's economy is much better now, beyond the complications that persist in the 'Fair Play' issue. In this regard, he valued the importance of La Masia, which is considered the base of the project. "We are paying attention to the market, but first we look at home," he argued.
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What we have and no one else has is La Masia, which produces great talent so that he ends up playing in the first team." Joan Laporta
Laporta is honest about the decisions in the last market
With respect to the signings made in the last summer market, the president made it clear that the decision to incorporate few reinforcements had to do, beyond the financial issue, with the desire to keep the bulk of the squad, a decision that, for the moment , is giving the expected results on the field and, in addition, has helped reduce the salary bill by around 170 million euros.
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We have increased income, we have reduced spending, we have lowered the wage bill by around 170 million euros... You have to have a lot of negotiating capacity to make this reduction." Joan Laporta
"Flick is getting a lot of performance out of many of these players. Gündogan has left, but Olmo has come. There are players who perform more, like Raphinha or Lewandowski. We are happy. But those who want to be will remain at Barça, Laporta pointed out. The Saturday's assembly will be telematic, since on this occasion only the club's updated accounts and next year's budget will be presented.