Barcelona finances, explained: Can the club really sign players while chasing more stars this summer?
Andreas Christensen, left, was unveiled by Barcelona this week even though he's not yet eligible to actually register as a LaLiga player. Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images Barcelona president Joan Laporta was back eating at his favourite restaurant on Thursday night, joined by Chelsea's new co-owner, Behdad Eghbali (the co-chairman of Clearlake Capital is part of the consortium that bought the Blues from Roman Abramovich, alongside Todd Boehly.) When Laporta came out and was bundled into the back of a van to avoid the media, all Egbhali would say was that the meal at Via Veneto had been very good. Barca's CEO, meanwhile, described the visit as "institutional," whatever that's supposed to mean. It wasn't very convincing and reporters didn't buy it; one asked if Eghbali was there to confirm Cesar Azpilicueta's move to Camp Nou, and the Chelsea captain wondered so too. It was not just him left to wonder; there's also left-back Marcos Alonso. Centre-back Andreas Christensen had already turned up in Spain, clutching a piece of paper that proved that coming to Catalonia had always been his dream, now fulfilled after his Chelsea contract ran out. Written when he was little and in neat handwriting, it declared his intention to be a fodboldspiller who would play for FC Barcelona. He said he had told Alonso and Azpilicueta of his move, and hoped that they would soon join him. The day before, midfielder Franck Kessie had arrived after his contract expired at AC Milan, looking sharp in a blue suit. 14dESPN 14dSam Marsden and Moises Llorens 12dColin Udoh 2 Related News came a couple of days later of another, increased bid for Leeds United attacker Raphinha, with optimism that he might actually join Barcelona despite competition from other clubs who had placed bids above €60 million. And news on Robert Lewandowski, the transfer fee reportedly edging closer to €40m for the Bayern Munich forward. Laporta had openly talked about Man City's Bernardo Silva, too; Sevilla defender Jules Kounde was another one. And still the Ousmane Dembele story was going on, six months after they told him to leave the club and a week after he had officially become a free agent, his future no longer clear and no longer formally linked to FC Barcelona, either. Then there was Frenkie de Jong. Barca had been negotiating his €85m transfer to Manchester United, trying to get him to go even when he didn't really want to, but now the president was saying he didn't intend to let the midfielder leave. It was heavily caveated, and not exactly a vow, but here he was saying that he would like the 25-year-old to stay. - ESPN+ guide: LaLiga,
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