Barcelona pessimistic about new signings after receiving negative response from La Liga

Earlier today, it was reported that Barcelona were awaiting a response from La Liga on their Financial Fair Play margin before taking their next steps in the January transfer window.

The Catalans parted ways with Memphis Depay earlier this week, selling him to Atletico Madrid for a total of €4 million (including add-ons). 

That coupled with the fact that they will save around €5.5 million from his wages meant that there was hope the club could reinvest a portion of that into new signings, with Xavi understood to be seeking a replacement for the Dutchman.

However, according to a report from Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona are pessimistic about bringing in any new player this month after receiving a negative response from La Liga.

As it turns out, the talks regarding the same will still continue, but the Catalans have more or less accepted the fact that the possibility of signing a new player is next to impossible. Xavi himself seemed to admit it while addressing the press ahead of the Getafe clash.

“If we can reinforce, all the better, but we depend solely and exclusively on fair play. At the moment, things are difficult,” said the manager.

At the moment, Barcelona are operating under a tight budget. As Juanmarti says, Depay’s departure has not really allowed them to spread their wings. The space the Dutchman’s exit has created is worth around €3.5 million.

So the club understand that now that they cannot sign a new player, they will invest the capital to register the contracts of defender Ronald Araujo and midfielder Gavi. 

The two players have already renewed their deals with Barcelona, but are working under their old contract so that the team can comply with the financial rules of La Liga.

All this has forced Barcelona to look into their own academy and as reported before, a certain Angel Alarcon seems to have caught everyone’s attention. 

It is understood that Xavi likes the player a lot and given that the sporting department sees him as a bright talent, the 18-year-old might as well get his chance during the business end of the season.