Leo Messi chose Miami. A decision that in the sports city of FC Barcelona already intuited since the beginning of May. They understand you. “He has appreciated his tranquility. These two years in Paris have not been easy for him", they say from the offices of Sant Joan Despí, who place the change in attitude of the Argentine on the trip he made to Saudi Arabia and which unleashed the fury of the fans and the ultras from PSG.
After that difficult moment, the family stability that playing for Inter Miami would bring him began to win out over the multi-million dollar offer from Saudi Arabia and his desire to return to Barça. "Now the club must turn the page," they insist. And they focus on the fact that the sports management led by Mateu Alemany together with Deco, whose appointment as an official member of the technical secretariat will take place in the coming days, must focus on strengthening itself so that Barça is competitive, especially in Europe.
Officially, the first team is already on vacation. It will return to activity on Monday, July 10, the day on which the players will carry out the usual medical tests and will do their first training session in the afternoon. On July 19 they will set course for the tour that the club will carry out in the United States. Not all those who are will travel. Or at least that's what coach Xavi Hernández wants.
Today the coach will meet with the club's sports staff to start executing his input and output plan. He will also begin to communicate to the footballers with whom he does not count that the best thing is that they find a way out. Those indicated are Kessié, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati. The three sense it. In the case of the youth squad, a loan is not ruled out. In addition, with the arrival of central defender Iñigo Martínez, who will be the first official signing, offers for Eric Garcia will also be heard.
Beyond the center back, Xavi Hernández has his priorities clear. Reinforcing the team with a defensive pivot and an interior are the main objectives. For the pivot position, they really like Martín Zubimendi, a Real Sociedad footballer with a contract until 2027 and a clause of 60 million euros. Despite the difficulty of the operation, the coaching staff is not throwing in the towel. Another name that fits them is that of Kimmich, with a contract with Bayern Münich until 2026. Marcelo Brozovic and, to a lesser extent, Amrabat, are two names that also appear on the list. Not so Ruben Neves.
The Portuguese pivot of Wolverhampton represented by Jorge Mendes is one of the names the club insists on but Xavi does not see the replacement for Sergio Busquets in the Portuguese. The same happens with Nico González. The youth squad player on loan to Valencia this season is not convincing. He considers the technical staff to be a poorly defensive profile and a transfer is not ruled out. The favorite to occupy the interior position and free Pedri from having to play all the games is Gündogan, who would arrive free from Manchester City.
It is not such a priority for Xavi to reinforce the right side. The coach considers that with Sergi Roberto and Koundé he can fill that position. He also wants to promote Julián Araújo, a 24-year-old Mexican who arrived in the last winter market with the idea of reinforcing the subsidiary and will be tested in the first team. The operation was not closed within the deadlines set by LaLiga and the winger has been left without playing all this time. He had a friendly debut in Tokyo and left a good feeling.
and in front?
The intention is to recover Abde and bet heavily on Lamine Yamal, the 15-year-old youth, renewing him with a first-team record. He deludes his explosiveness, his youth and his talent. But the market is long. After Messi's "no", they do not rule out being able to incorporate one more striker.
