Joan Laporta has insisted Barcelona are ‘not a selling club’ after revealing the names of eight players La Blaugrana have turned down offers for.
Barca’s financial plight in recent years has been well-documented, with the club being forced to sell Lionel Messi after they could not register his contract, and then being unable to re-sign the Argentine legend this summer despite the player’s desire to return to Camp Nou.
Club president Laporta even recently revealed that, due to being forced to defer some of Messi’s wages during his time at the club, Barcelona will continue to pay the player until 2025.
“What is owed to him is the deferral of the salary bill that was agreed with the previous board and that produces pending payments that end in 2025,” Laporta remarked.
Despite the club’s monetary issues, Barcelona remain keen on strengthening Xavi’s squad with high-profile signings – Joshua Kimmich and Bernardo Silva among those to be on Barca’s shortlist – and are expected to make moves before the transfer window closes.
Barcelona also have no intention of parting ways with any of their key players, which is something Laporta referenced in an interview with La Vanguardia. Indeed, he named eight current stars that the club have turned down offers for, reaffirming the Catalan giants are not in the business of being a selling club.
There are offers for [Andreas] Christensen, for Pedri, for Gavi, for [Ronald] Araújo, for [Marc Andre] ter Stegen, for Ansu [Fati], for Raphinha, for [Alejandro] Balde. But we are not a selling club,” Laporta said.
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“[I’d tell Ansu] to continue. He has to earn Xavi’s trust and when he plays make a difference because he has the talent he can do it.”
90min understands that Fati has been a target for Premier League sides Wolves and West Ham United during the summer transfer window, although the player isn’t keen on making a move to clubs who finished in the lower half of England’s top flight last season.
In the higher reaches of the Premier League, interest has been rife for Raphinha and Gavi in particular, with the former being near the top of Arsenal’s shortlist of potential right wing targets, and the latter previously being targeted by Manchester City and Liverpool.
Gavi’s contract renewal was eventually registered by Barcelona in June, some nine months after he originally put pen to paper on a new deal.
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