If there is something that has been non-negotiable for Xavi from the first to the last of his 37 games on the Barcelona bench, it has been the two wingers. He has always used them open. In his debut against Espanyol it was Ilias and Gavi, two youth players, who occupied the bands. To close the League, against Villarreal, he used Adama and Ferran Torres, two of the winter reinforcements. Hence, the position is once again among the priorities of the sports management, where the folders of Dembélé, Raphinha, Trincão and Memphis are open and interconnected.
The extremes touch at the Camp Nou, and more so now that the Frenchman, without a team since his contract with Barça ended on June 30, is willing to accept the last offer made by the club and the negotiation for the Brazilian Leeds has entered its final stretch.
The market has played in favor of Barcelona in the case of Dembélé, who has not had great proposals as he expected, neither from PSG nor from the Premier. In January, the 25-year-old Frenchman even asked for a salary increase and a transfer bonus for his agent to renew, while Barça always offered him a lower contract, around 40% of his previous salary . From there the club has not moved and Dembélé, after comparing and understanding what the current situation is, looks favorably on that starting point, especially because Xavi Hernández showed him that he blindly trusts his potential (he scored 2 goals but gave 12 assists) and that will be important in the project.
If with the world champion it is still necessary for Barcelona to confirm the agreement, in the talks for Raphinha Leeds still need to be convinced. Barça has put 50 million on the table, in installments, an amount lower than that offered by Chelsea. However, the desire of the Brazilian international, controlled by Deco, is to wear a Blaugrana. Raphinha, who with 11 goals managed to save Leeds last season, has achieved a first victory by not traveling yesterday to the tour that Jesse Marsch's team is going to make in Australia.
With these two reinforcements and with Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati, Xavi would have doubled the two wing positions. That means Trincão has no place in the squad. The Portuguese is coming off a regular season on loan at Wolverhampton, with 3 goals in 30 games (16 starts). Barça has advanced a sale to Sporting Clube de Portugal in which a high percentage would be saved in case there is a large sale in the future since the footballer is only 22 years old.
Since everything is related, Memphis would also see its door closed. The Dutchman was the team's top scorer in 21-22 with 13 goals (5 of them penalties) but he only has one more year left on his contract and leaving would be a profitable sale for both parties in a World Cup year.
