The 2025 Summer Window: What Should Barça Do?
- Sascha
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Introduction
The 2024/25 season under new manager Hansi Flick has marked a vital turning point for Barça, reestablishing the club as one of the most formidable teams in Europe. Despite this success, the club and its supporters recognize that strategic improvements must be made in the form of new signings this summer. However, given Barça's limited budget, who can be signed? This article explores potential improvements Barça can make in the upcoming 2025 summer transfer window.
A Number 9
It is no secret that Robert Lewandowski has over-performed to a great extent this season given his age and form last season; however, it is also evident that his general play and inconsistency has also not been up to par throughout many parts of the season. With Lewandowski turning 37 and only having one more year on his contract (if he chooses to extend), Barça should be looking for a replacement this summer. The question is, who will it be?
To begin with, one option available this summer which has been widely discussed over the previous months is Newcastle's Alexander Isak. While there is no doubt that he would be a brilliant signing, surely Barça will not be able to afford the $194,000,000 that Newcastle United are reportedly asking for the Swedish superstar (footballinsider247). As a result, Barça will likely have to go looking elsewhere.
This is where the Canadian Jonathan David becomes the front-runner. This season, he has managed a respectable 23 goals and 10 assists in 44 appearances for LOSC Lille (transfermarkt). Furthermore, he is available on a free this summer as his contract expires on June 30th of this year, making him a budget friendly option for Barça. On the other hand, although his numbers are extremely respectable, he is widely known as a pure "9" who is lethal in front of goal, but is not as gifted when it comes to participating in build-up play. Nonetheless, given Barça's financial constraints, I believe that David is likely the best option this summer.
Backup Left-Back
Moving on, another position which Barça must look at improving upon this summer is the left-back position. At the moment, Alejandro Balde is enjoying the best season of his football career, playing a total of 43 games this season and racking up 3291 minutes of football in the process. For a player aged 21 who has already had previous injury woes, this is evidently unsustainable game-time as evidenced by Balde's recent hamstring injury which he picked up against Leganes.
So, what is the solution? Well, it seems that if Barça want to keep Balde healthy and at the top of his game for years to come, they may have to sign a back up left-back. In recent times, rumors have been spreading about the potential signing of Alphonso Davies on a free this summer. Nevertheless, these rumors have died down in the wake of his new contract extension at Bayern which extends his contract to the year 2030. Personally, I see José Gayà as a significantly better option given Barça's budget constraints. He is a seasoned La Liga veteran who Barça could likely get for around $15,000,000 alongside relatively low wages of around $100,000 per week.
Nevertheless, with Gerard Martín performing at a much higher level in recent games (even getting a goal against Getafe), it may be the case that the Barça board and Hansi Flick deem Gerard Martín as a sufficient backup for Alejandro Balde given the clubs financial condition.
Conclusion
All things considered, Barça's financial limitations (largely imposed by Bartomeu's reign as club president) have led the club to demand precision rather than extravagance in their signings. Fortunately, with La Masia producing generational talent at insanely high rates, the need for transfers has been limited. If Laporta and the Barça board can find a way to return to the 1:1 rule this summer, surely the gaps left in Barça's squad will be filled by suitable and capable players.
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