Josep Bartomeu has confirmed that a number of Barcelona players could be sold this summer, but Arsenal-linked Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann are amongst a limited list of players who are unavailable.
The Catalan club were humiliated in the Champions League this week when Bayern handed them an 8-2 drubbing inside 90 minutes, and rumours emerged that the majority of the squad would now be made available for transfer.
Those reports now appear to have been confirmed by Bartomeu, who has listed a very limited number of players who are not available for transfer in the current window, including Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele.
JB told Barca TV (via The Sun): “Messi is untouchable & non-transferable. He knows it, we all know it.
“But there are various non-transferable players like [Marc-Andre] ter Stegen, [Clement] Lenglet, [Nelson] Semedo, De Jong, Griezmann, Dembele… players we are counting on in the future.”
He added: “The renewal will be as deep as necessary.
“We formulate plans each season to win everything. It is a goal and a necessity, but also a desire.
“With hindsight, after Anfield [and the 2019 Champions League semi-final defeat] was the time to do it.”
The Express had linked Arsenal with a move to sign Griezmann only last month, but that now looks to be a no-go.
The Sun has also stated that we have a long-standing interest in Ousmane Dembele, who was rumoured to become available this summer, but Bartomeu has rubbished such claims.
Would Dembele or Griemzann have been guaranteed to be a hit in the Premier League? Should we be targeting a raid on some of their other stars?
Patrick
OT:Eric Abidal their sporting director who sacked the coach was sacked too within 48 hours or as they announced it ,this was a mutual agreement!😁
The firesale is a reflection of the mismanagement which has been evident at Barca for sometime.A bit like Arsenal really.A series of poor overpriced acquisitions and a failure to recognise when players are past their sell by date.All good things come to an end ,but my goodness who will ever forget the magnificent football they played in their prime.It has been a privilege to witness the skills of Messi and Iniesta in particular who were up there with the best who have ever played the game.