Barcelona’s strategy to strengthen the squad in the January window | OneFootball

Barcelona have a critical January transfer window coming up ahead of them.

With Xavi Hernandez taking over the reins of the club last month, the 41-year-old is keen on remodelling the squad into his own image. Targets have already been identified and efforts are being made, with Barca officials recently travelling to Manchester to discuss the signing of Ferran Torres. The name of Raheem Sterling has also been mentioned quite heavily.

However, Barca’s financial situation at the moment means that he will not have the necessary funds to do so, while the La Liga salary cap also poses an issue.

Given the way things are, Fichajes reports that the Blaugrana will resort to player sales in the January window to generate funds and free up room on the wage bill to be able to sign and register new players.

The first name on the list of stars who the Catalan giants will look to offload is that of Samuel Umtiti. The 28-year-old has not played a single minute of football this season and is not part of the manager’s plans.

Being one of the highest earners in the squad, getting him off the books would certainly help Barca. There has been interest in his services from AC Milan ahead of the winter window, paving the way for a potential exit next month.

The report then mentions Philippe Coutinho as another player that Joan Laporta & co. are keen to part ways with. Like Umtiti, the Brazilian is also on a massive contract at Camp Nou but has hardly been a regular member of the team throughout his stint with the club.

Finding suitors for the ex-Liverpool ace could prove tricky because of his high salary, however.

Finally, it is claimed that Barcelona may take the tough call to cash in on Ousmane Dembele as his contract situation continues to frustrate the club officials. The Frenchman’s current deal runs out at the end of the season and both Xavi and Laporta have insisted that they want him to sign an extension.

However, the 24-year-old is dithering over a new deal, amidst more lucrative offers from the Premier League. So, if an agreement is not finalised soon, Barca will not hesitate to cut ties with the 2018 World Cup winner, with Ferran Torres potentially seen as a direct replacement.

With Barcelona languishing 16 points behind La Liga leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid, the team needs to turn around their fortunes at the earliest. And how they fare in the winter window could have a bearing on where they finish come the end of the season.