Barcelona have put a whole host of Premier League targets up for sale as they look to reduce a crippling £550 million annual wage bill, according to The Sun, including Newcastle United-linked Arturo Vidal and Arsenal target Samuel Umtiti.
For the La Liga champions, the situation is clear. Either they raise funds, a lot of them too, or that dream deal for Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez will probably be out of their reach.
It is no secret that Barca have identified the Argentina international as Luis Suarez’s long-term successor. But a man who has scored 16 times for an Italian giant this season will not come cheap.
According to Goal, the Catalan kings have just £25 million to spend on new signings so it was always likely that a couple of high-earners would be placed on the market. Though with The Sun claiming that Barcelona have put everyone but Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen up for sale, the extent of Barcelona’s financial headache is now becoming clear.
Vidal, the veteran Chilean with La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A titles on his CV, has been tipped to become a marquee signing for a newly-minted Newcastle side by Mundo Deportivo. Ivan Rakitic, meanwhile, is desperate to see out of the final year of his contract but if Tottenham Hotspur come in with a good bid, expect Barca to cash in (MD).
Brazil international Arthur Melo has also been linked with Spurs (MD) while centre-back Umtiti (Sport) has admirers across the capital at Arsenal.
And then you have Carles Alena (Marca) and rampaging right-back Emerson (Sport), the Real Betis loanees who, like Vidal, are allegedly on Newcastle’s radar.
Plenty of threads to keep an eye on, then.
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