Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: The Catalan club is keeping an eye on Marcus Rashford, and the club is planning to sign three forwards following the Xavi-Laporta meeting.
On Saturday, Barcelona triumphed over Elche in a thrilling La Liga match. Nico Gonzalez scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute to help the Catalans end a three-game losing streak in all competitions. Xavi Hernandez and his teammates have a lot of work ahead of them, and the club is looking to bolster their ranks during the January transfer window.
Without further ado, here are the top Barcelona-related stories from December 19, 2021.
Xavi believes the team needs to reintroduce Barcelona's style of play.
Xavi Hernandez's first few years in charge of Barcelona have not been easy. He was forced to watch them crash out of the Champions League before reaching the knockout stages.
After the 3-2 win over Elche, Xavi, who left Barcelona in 2015, said he has been surprised by what he has seen since returning to the club. He stated that the club has lost its old style of play and that it must be reintroduced. Xavi said in his post-match interview:
"We've lost [Barcelona's] model of play and must reintroduce it." I haven't been here in six years, and there have been some tactical surprises. I wasn't here, so I'm not sure who's to blame, but it's making [the job] difficult for us." The vast majority of players are unfamiliar with ball retention.
There are mechanisms I've known since I was 11 years old, and we have players here who haven't worked on them."
"The style was completely lost," Xavi says. Some players aren't as familiar with automatisms as I was when I was 11. When no one has ever worked on it with them, everything becomes more difficult."
Barcelona will try to sign three forwards in the coming season.
Due to their financial difficulties, Barcelona has had to rely on free agent signings and loan deals to bolster their squad. The strategy, however, has largely failed to bear fruit.
Sergio Aguero, a free agent signing, has had to retire from football. Memphis Depay's form has dwindled recently.
On-loan players like Yusuf Demir and Luuk De Jong are expected to be sold in January. Another player who was signed on a free transfer this summer, defender Eric Garcia, hasn't been very consistent.
Xavi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta met, according to El Nacional, to discuss future signings. According to the report, Xavi will be given a €225 million budget to sign three top forwards: Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, Dani Olmo of RB Leipzig, and Ferran Torres of Manchester City.
While Barcelona is expected to make a move for Torres next month for around €50 million, they are also expected to make a move for Olmo and Haaland in the summer. Both players will be less expensive in the summer than they will be in the winter.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona is keeping an eye on Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United forward is a target for the Catalans. The 24-year-old has previously stated in an interview with The Guardian that the only two clubs for which he would leave Old Trafford are Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Rashford is expected to join the Catalans in the summer of 2022 or January of 2023. Rashford's contract is coming to an end in the next 18 months, and Barcelona knows that if he does not extend it, he will be available for a bargain in 2023.
Rashford has made 12 appearances for Manchester United this season, scoring three goals and assisting on another.
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