Barcelona re-considering their position on the transfer of Portuguese midfielder | OneFootball

Icon: Barca Universal

Barca Universal

·24 October 2021

Barcelona re-considering their position on the transfer of Portuguese midfielder

Article image:Barcelona re-considering their position on the transfer of Portuguese midfielder

The last couple of weeks have been pleasant ones for Barcelona. Two wins in two games, including their first of the season in the UEFA Champions League, coupled with the contract extensions of two of their most prized assets in Pedri and Ansu Fati, have brightened the mood around Camp Nou.

Club president Joan Laporta, however, is already planning for the future, with talks over a potential transfer target for the summer transfer window being held. Indeed, as per a report from SPORT (h/t El Nacional), Laporta has spoken about signing LOSC Lille midfielder Renato Sanches with his representative, Jorge Mendes.


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The Portuguese super-agent, whose clientele consists of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabinho, Ederson Moraes and Bernardo Silva, among many other high-profile superstars, also represents Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati.

It is claimed that following the Catalans’ 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday night when Fati’s contract extension was announced, Laporta had a dinner meeting with Mendes, where the likes of Rafa Yuste, Mateu Alemany were also present.

The meeting is said to have taken place at Japanese restaurant ‘Yashima’, during which Laporta and Mendes discussed various things, among which was the topic of Renato Sanches. The 24-year-old has been on Barcelona’s agenda for a while now, but a transfer has never materialised.

Laporta was believed to be keen on signing the Portuguese last summer, but the player was not keen on an exit. However, that is said to have changed now, with Lille president Oliver Letang indicating as much in a recent interview when he said:

“I’ve already talked about that. I’ve already discussed it with him, if an offer comes from a big club, Renato can leave. We’ll see what happens. But for now, he’s with us and he’s happy to be here.”

With Laporta now holding talks with Mendes over the possibility of signing Sanches, it will be interesting to see if Barcelona make a formal approach for the 24-year-old in the near future. With his contract with the Ligue 1 champions running out in 2023, he could very well be available for a bargain price in the summer.

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