Alemany was not in favour of Dembele’s renewal, wanted Frenkie de Jong sold – report

Barcelona have been rocked by Mateu Alemany’s decision to quit the club. The sporting director is set to leave the club at the end of the season, as confirmed by the club yesterday.

Alemany’s decision to quit was motivated by various internal matters within the Barça hierarchy, including the lack of secrecy within the executive duties of the club. He was also unhappy over the fact that Joan Laporta had sought advice from prominent agents such as Jorge Mendes and Pini Zahavi, despite knowing they work in their own interests.

A recent report from Ferran Correas has offered more reasons why Alemany has decided to leave Barcelona at the end of the season and join Unai Emery in a new project at Aston Villa.

Correas suggests Alemany was not in favour of Ousmane Dembele’s initial renewal back in 2022 after how his agents reacted at the time. But Xavi Hernandez vouched for the player and got the renewal done.

Although the move turned out to be a wise one, as Dembele has since emerged as one of the best performers for Barcelona, the conflict played its part in sidelining Alemany.

Another instance came last summer when Alemany was in favour of the sale of Frenkie de Jong. But club president Joan Laporta decided to respect the player’s wish to stay and kept hold of the Dutchman.

Once again, it was a move that has been justified by De Jong himself, having emerged as one of Barcelona’s midfielders since the start of the season.

Apart from these discrepancies in squad planning before the start of the campaign, Alemany is also against the idea of sanctioning a return for Lionel Messi. He wants the team to be rebuilt around young talents, considering the fact that they have been very successful.

But the board is in favour of Messi’s return and also decided to renew old guards such as Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets. All of these discrepancies made Alemany feel devalued at the club, ultimately leading to his decision to quit.

Now it is up to Barcelona to seek a replacement and move ahead with their plans for the summer ahead, without the guidance of the brilliant Alemany, whose exit may also motivate the future of Jordi Cruyff.