They almost have the 2023 La Liga title wrapped up, and when they do finish the job, the region of Catalonia will party long into the night. But in the dark offices deep within the Camp Nou Stadium, the Barcelona money men already have their calculators out.
With a 13-point lead at the top of the table and just five games to play, Xavi has surely led the Catalans to a first title since 2019. The Blaugrana have blown the opposition away, just as they did with regularity when Xavi was a player and now Barca fans hope he is ushering in a new era of Catalan dominance.
But to do so, he needs the club’s accountants to make some magic as they look to resolve their Financial Fair Play issues.
The club hopes that Barca legend Lionel Messi will make his way back to his spiritual home after a two-year sabbatical at Paris Saint-Germain, but to smooth that move there will be some frantic juggling of finance and a few big earners going out of the door.
It may not be too painful as Xavi has put together an exciting team with an emphasis on youth, with brilliant players such as Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, Jules Kounde, and Ronald Araujo ready to take the club forward.
One of the big name stars likely to make his way out is midfielder Franck Kessie, who has struggled to make a big impact following his transfer from AC Milan last summer. He signed a contract until 2026 with a huge buyout clause said to be set at €500-M, but the Catalans will be happy to sell at a discount if the deal can be done.
He arrived at the Camp Nou on a free transfer, so any fee will be a handy cash injection. Kessie may even head back to Milan where he won the Scudetto and remains a fan-favourite.
And another 2022 recruit who can make a quick exit is Brazilian winger Raphinha who, at 26 years of age, is coming into his prime. His arrival from Leeds United for a fee in the region of £50-M made big La Liga 2023 news at the time. And while he has put in some fine performances, Raphinha’s consistency has not always been there and Xavi may prefer to hang on to the younger Ferran Torres.
With another highly-rated winger Ousmane Dembele returning from injury, there may not be room for Raphinha in the home dressing room at the Camp Nou, and he could make a return to the Premier League, where a number of clubs are monitoring the situation.
Barca have a target of £178-M of player sales to make if they are to bring Messi back to the club (without raising more alarm bells), and the sale of Raphinha and Kessie would raise a big chunk of that figure. And Xavi is likely to look for some cut price reinforcements to bolster his squad further.
He can bring 21-year-old winger Ez Abde, who is impressing on loan at Copa del Rey finalists Osasuna, back to the club. And there may also be a return for Pierre Emerick-Aubamayang, one of a number of players who look lost at Premier League strugglers Chelsea.
Gabon’s all time top scorer bagged 11 goals in 18 appearances for the Blaugrana last year and he is a high-quality low-budget option, as is Atleti forward Yannick Carrasco who could become available next month.
Respect to Los Rojiblancos
For most of the campaign, the La Liga 2023 betting odds pitched this as an El Clasico battle for the title, but Los Blancos have just been nudged out of second place by their city rivals at the Wanda Metropolitano.
As Real Sociedad got the better of Real Madrid in midweek, Atleti leapfrogged them into second place thanks to a 5-1 win over Cadiz, a ninth win in 10 La Liga games since they drew 1-1 in the Madrid derby late in February.
Antoine Griezmann has been one of the players of the season and he scored a brace as Los Rojiblancos ran riot. That made it 13 goals and 13 assists for the Frenchman, and he looks like he’s never been away.
Alvaro Morata, Carrasco, and Nahuel Molina all added to the score as Diego Simeone’s side took their second spot. This is a new-look Atleti, scoring 13 goals in the last three games to shake off their “1-0” persona.
There is no La Liga action this weekend as Real Madrid take on Osasuna in the Copa Del Rey final, a game we previewed here at SBOTOP and one Los Blancos really need to win to take some momentum into their Champions League clash with Manchester City next week.
The top drawer football just keeps on coming.
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