The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, and the coach of the first team, Xavi Hernández, will hold an important meeting this afternoon-night to activate the list of signings for next season, as 'La Vanguardia' has learned. The meeting, in which the sports vice-president, Rafael Yuste and the director of football, Mateu Alemany, are also scheduled to participate, will take place outside the club's offices.
In the same Xavi hopes to know first-hand what the economic possibilities of the entity are when it comes to tying the reinforcements. Laporta will inform him of the agreements that the board of directors adopted on Tuesday and that involve the activation of a series of economic levers, with the aim that the club can meet the needs that the coach has requested. These levers, basically based on the sale of merchandising assets and audiovisual rights, must receive the approval of the compromising partners in a telematic assembly on June 16.
Xavi is clear about his action plan.
It needs a thorough reform of the squad in all lines to raise the competitive level of the team and be able to fight for the titles. The coach has also been disappointed by the end of the season and his roadmap includes a plan of between six and eight signings. He wants fast defenders, both in terms of the wings (here are the names of Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta) and central defenders (Koundé or Christensen) and players who increase the pace of the game, such as midfielder Kessié. For the front, the objective, recognized by all parties, is that of Robert Lewandowski. The Pole is pressing and doing his part but he has a contract with Bayern, who are not going to let him escape for free, far from it.
But to achieve all these objectives, economic liquidity is needed. An outlay that can also be used to start the list of casualties. Xavi has already told several players like Braithwaite that he doesn't have them. But the Dane, like for example Lenglet or Pjanic, who returns after his loan in Turkey, has no intention of moving at the moment. In this sense, summer promises to be very long.
The economic respite that the activation of the levers should suppose would also mean greater possibilities when it comes to closing renewals such as Gavi's, always with the pending case of Ousmane Dembélé on the table.
This Wednesday's meeting between Lapora and Xavi and the entity's sports leadership will not be the only one this week. In fact, it will only be the first within a few days of a lot of work in the offices of the entity. The coach considers that there is no time to waste and hopes to find out, first-hand, what the real panorama of the club is when it comes to undertaking the operations required by the coach.
