Deco faces major hurdles in planning Barcelona’s transfers for the summer | OneFootball

As has already been well-established, FC Barcelona have already identified the key areas in the squad that need to be strengthened.

Targets for those roles have also been identified by the club’s sporting department, led by director Deco.

However, at the same time, Barça will also need to lighten their wage bill by offloading some players who are not part of the team’s plans. And, this is where Deco is set to encounter a major issue.

Nobody wants to leave

Indeed, according to SPORT, no one wants to leave Barcelona, which is the major obstacle Deco is facing in balancing the books.

The Barça director needs to carry out sales or loan deals to reduce the wage bill and generate income, but no one is considering the possibility of leaving.

As per the report, all players are hoping for one last chance, even though the sporting department has a clear idea of who they want to keep and sell.

Big decisions to be made

The first decision Deco & co. have made is that none of the players currently out on loan will be counted on, although there could be an exception in goal.

The loaned players are Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who, despite being injured, is formally on loan at Girona, Inaki Pena, Aron Yaakobishvili, Ansu Fati and Hector Fort.

Of these three goalkeepers, one could stay if Szczesny leaves and there is no option to sign a backup, but the idea is for all of them to move on.

Nobody wants to leave Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Fati’s future looks complicated, as Monaco have not yet made clear whether they will keep him, while Fort could be sold or used as part of another deal.

At present, among the players whose contracts are expiring, neither Lewandowski nor Christensen have their continuity guaranteed, and the preference would be for them to leave despite having renewal offers on the table.

Talks are ongoing in the defender’s case, but there is no agreement so far, making it likely that the Dane will accept one of the offers he has and continue his career elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Barcelona aim to generate income through a significant sale that does not disrupt the core of the team too much.

Marc Casado is a clear case, as he barely plays, and the club are also willing to listen to offers for Alejandro Balde. For now, neither player has shown any desire to leave despite interest from several clubs, especially in the midfielder’s case.

Both are represented by Jorge Mendes, who is well aware the club needs to raise funds, among other reasons, to secure Joao Cancelo on a permanent deal.

Barcelona have not yet started making moves to facilitate departures. Everything has been postponed until the league title is secured, but after that, there will be movement.

This time, the club intend to be firm: there is not enough room for everyone, and savings and income are needed.