Predicting Barcelona’s XI after potential Saudi takeover with FOUR new signings | OneFootball

According to reports from Spain, the Saudi Crown Prince is preparing to make an offer worth a whopping €10billion to buy Barcelona.

The potential acquisition would wipe the club’s debt and make the La Liga giants one of the wealthiest clubs in the upcoming transfer window.

If the blockbuster takeover does indeed go through, here’s how Barcelona could potentially line up in the future.

GK: Joan Garcia

The club made a good investment in Garcia, who they picked up from Espanyol in the summer.

He boasts the fourth-best save percentage of any goalkeeper in La Liga and looks set to be Barcelona’s number one for the foreseeable future.

RB: Jules Kounde

Under Hansi Flick, Kounde has become a nailed-on starter, having played the second-highest number of minutes of any Barcelona player in the league this season.

When at his best, he’s in the conversation to be one of the best right-backs in world football.

CB: Pau Cubarsi

Barcelona is a club built on its academy and even if new owners do come in, that will remain a key part of their philosophy.

There’s no denying that Cubarsi is one of the brightest defensive prospects in world football right now and we wouldn’t be surprised if he spends his entire career at the club.

CB: Gabriel Magalhaes

Barcelona were interested in the Brazilian defender back in 2022, but ultimately pulled out of the deal as he was out of their price range.

However, under a new ownership where money is no issue, there’s every chance that the Spanish giants could rekindle their interest.

The 27-year-old is undoubtedly among the best centre-backs in world football right now and would complement someone like Cubarsi fairly well.

LB: Alejandro Balde

While Barcelona could look for an upgrade in this position, we’d back Balde to keep his place, for the time being.

The 22-year-old possesses blistering pace and still has the best years of his career ahead of him yet.

CM: Pedri

For some, the 23-year-old is the best midfielder in world football right now.

The Spaniard is integral to Flick’s system and will no doubt have a huge role to play for Barcelona in the coming years.

CM: Bruno Guimaraes

Who better to partner Pedri in midfield than a combative goalscorer like Guimaraes?

The Brazilian has been linked with Barcelona on numerous occasions over the past few years, but the Spanish club have never had the financial capability to pull off the deal.

“It was all just media talk; there were no direct negotiations,” Guimaraes said when discussing the previous links to Barcelona.

“When I was young, I watched Barcelona because of Ronaldinho. I loved him, and then Iniesta and Xavi came along.”

“In Brazil, we follow La Liga a lot, and I’ve always admired Barcelona because of those players.”

RW: Lamine Yamal

We dread to think what sort of contract Yamal would be offered by Barcelona, if they had financial backing from Saudi Arabia.

The 18-year-old is already among the best players in world football and will be central to Barcelona’s plans going forward, regardless of their owners.

CAM: Raphinha

At the centre of Barcelona’s attack would be Raphinha, who has developed into one of the best players in the world over the past few years.

Capable of playing anywhere across the forward line, we’ve opted to put him in the No.10 role, with Dani Olmo providing back-up in his position.

LW: Nico Williams

Having tried and failed to sign Williams previously, Barcelona’s potential new owners could persuade Williams to join.

The 23-year-old already has a strong bond with Yamal from playing with him at international level and the pair would be electric to watch each week at club level.

ST: Erling Haaland

Haaland is under contract at Manchester City until 2034 and right now, there are virtually no clubs in world football who could tempt him away from the Etihad.

But what about Barcelona with the backing of the Saudi Crown Prince? Now that could make things interesting.

If money is no issue for Flick’s side next summer, they will almost certainly be interested in Haaland, who has continually been linked with the club over the past five years.