FC Barcelona still have major business left to do with less than three weeks left until the transfer window closes. The Catalan club’s targets are no secret, but a sense of urgency is setting in.
Let’s start with Rodri. The Blaugrana have reportedly agreed personal terms with the FIFA World Cup hero, but are still haggling over price with Manchester City. If a transfer is not agreed, Rodri will stay for the last year remaining in his contract. There will come a point where Barça will deem it too expensive for a player who is over 30 and dealt with a significant injury recently, on the last year of his contract.
Reports say Barça haven’t given up on signing Julián Alvarez, but Atlético Madrid have made it clear to this point they are not interested in a sale. If Barcelona can’t sign him, they will need to accelerate an alternative, and as of now, there is not a clear one. That is significant as Barcelona have reportedly agreed to sell Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain. If Torres does indeed move, Barça will be without him and last year’s other striker, Robert Lewandowski, who has already left for Chicago Fire.
Last of the obvious targets is one that many thought would’ve been done long ago. João Cancelo loves to play for Barcelona. He’s joined the club twice already, and he wants to join one more time. However, Al-Hilal are playing hardball over his signing, despite the fact that it’s widely understood that neither Cancelo nor the Saudi club truly wants him to stay. That may be why Barça is confident in not giving into the Saudi team’s demands, thinking Al-Hilal will eventually just acquiesce… but the clock is ticking.
Barça still have time to get all these deals over the line. Apart from the Alvarez transfer, most are about haggling over price and are doable. With every day that passes though, the deals become less likely. And usually, no one – not the selling club, not the buying club, not the player – benefits from a late sale.