Both Deco and coach Hansi Flick are fully focused on preparations for the upcoming season, as this weekend’s match against Athletic Bilbao will mark the end of an exceptional year in which results exceeded all initial expectations. The team secured a domestic treble \u2014 the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and La Liga \u2014 and reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in ten years.<\/p>\n
Barcelona aims to build on this momentum, which has reignited enthusiasm among fans. The club’s management plans to offload players who have not met expectations in order to make room for new signings. Four potential reinforcements are being considered during the summer transfer window, beginning with the goalkeeper position, given Wojciech Szczesny\u2019s failure to respond to a contract extension offer and I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a\u2019s likely departure.<\/p>\n
According to the Spanish newspaper El Nacional, concerns remain about Marc-Andr\u00e9 ter Stegen\u2019s advancing age as he continues to recover from a serious injury. This has led the club\u2019s management to explore options for signing a new goalkeeper. Espanyol\u2019s Juan Garc\u00eda appears to be the leading candidate, though he is not the only one. The club is also monitoring Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund) and Mike Maignan (AC Milan).<\/p>\n
In defense, a new center-back is deemed essential. Flick has identified Ronald Ara\u00fajo as a possible departure, and the club hopes to generate significant revenue from his sale. Andreas Christensen\u2019s contract is set to expire in a year, and he could also leave. With Jonathan Tah nearing a move to Bayern Munich, Ajax defender Jorrel Hato is emerging as a suitable option due to his youth, versatility, and affordable price.<\/p>\n
At right-back, despite the emergence of Eric Garc\u00eda, the club is still looking for a specialist in the position, with Vanderson and Andrei Ra\u021biu among the most likely candidates.<\/p>\n
In attack, the board \u2014 led by Joan Laporta and Deco \u2014 views signing a new striker as a top priority, especially given the expected decline in performance from veteran Robert Lewandowski. Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez is the main target, due to his standout performances with Atl\u00e9tico Madrid.<\/p>\n
Despite the focus on \u00c1lvarez, other options remain open, with names like Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, and Viktor Gy\u00f6keres still under consideration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Both Deco and coach Hansi Flick are fully focused on preparations for the upcoming season, as this weekend’s match against Athletic Bilbao will mark the end of an exceptional year in which results exceeded all initial expectations. The team secured a domestic treble \u2014 the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and La Liga […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-h-barcelona-english"],"yoast_head":"\n