Ousmane Dembele landed in Catalonia on Sunday night and he now seems set to sign a contract that will keep him at Barcelona until 2024, with him now technically unattached after his deal ended on June 30....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Barcelona are set to begin pre-season on Monday. They will undergo a medical check-up in the morning and will train for the first time at 19:00 CEST.
Dembele is expected to pen a contract that will keep him at Barcelona for the next two seasons and will take a sizeable salary cut.
By getting the Frenchman to stay, Xavi Hernandez has got his way and will be able to count on the winger while waiting to see if the club are able to reinforce their squad with Raphinha, who should arrive from Leeds.
The negotiations for the Brazilian are considered to be at an advanced stage according to different media outlets, and the Catalans could pay as much as 75 million euros to sign him.
The Daily Mail say that Barcelona have beaten Chelsea in the race to sign Raphinha with their offer. Chelsea offered 65m fixed plus 9.4m in variables, but the player always had Barcelona in his heart.
All-in with Xavi
Xavi is starting to build a squad aligned with his vision as he enters his second season as coach, though the Spaniard is still waiting for some big-name signings.
For the moment, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have arrived, but others are sought.
Those who have not left
Barcelona have a problem with departures. The likes of Neto, Samuel Umtiti, Riqui Puig and Oscar Mingueza are still at the club despite having no part to play next season.
This is what Xavi wanted to avoid. At this stage of the summer, he wanted to be able to work with the people who are going to continue at the club along with the new signings.
Barcelona’s signings
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha haven’t joined yet, so for now Xavi has to work with players who were already there but who hadn’t shown their very best, for one reason or another.
There are two players who are expected to step up this season – Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati. The two, who could even compete for the same position, could make a difference in attack.
Both players have been working during the summer to try to be in the best condition possible for the start of the season.
The first test for the Blaugrana will come this Wednesday, with a friendly match against Olot. It is most likely that the new recruits will not be able to take part.
On Saturday, the team will head to Miami, where they will begin their tour of the United States and their first serious tests, including the season’s first Clasico against Real Madrid.
