Joan Laporta names the five Barcelona players who are untransferable this summer - Reports
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has named five players who will not be leaving the club this summer despite offers for some of them.
Barca's poor financial condition has been well-known for a few years now. This has seen them struggle to register some players, having to cut down the wages of some senior players. They would like to have some departures this summer to raise money and free up some more wages.
Despite this, however, Laporta is unwilling to sell five players. He believes these players form the core of Barcelona's current team and are important for the future as well.
In an interview on Esport3 show Onze, Laporta named Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati, Andreas Christensen, Pedri and Ronald Araujo as the unsellable players.
Frenkie de Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 and has made 183 appearances for the club, contributing 15 goals and 21 assists. The central midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last summer. But he was unwilling to leave the Spanish club.
Ansu Fati, meanwhile, has scored 29 goals and provided 10 assists in 109 games for Barca. Laporta confirmed that they have received offers for the young forward but he is unlikely to leave.
Andreas Christensen joined Barcelona last summer and helped them keep 15 clean sheets in 32 appearances across competitions.
Ronaldo Araujo, meanwhile, has become one of the club's most important players since making his senior debut in 2020.
Pedri, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the most promising young midfielders. The 20-year-old has already made 109 senior appearances for the Blaugrana, contributing 16 goals and eight assists.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Xavi's future
Xavi Hernandez was appointed Barcelona manager in November 2021 after Ronald Koeman's sacking. The Spaniard helped the club win the La Liga title and the Supercopa de Espana last season. However, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League group stage in the last two seasons.
Xavi's current contract with Barca expires in 2024. In the interview on ESport3's show Onze, club president Joan Laporta insisted that they are happy with the Spaniard continuing at the club:
“Xavi has a contract [with the club], he knows we believe he is the best coach for Barça, and we’re very happy with him. He’s a great person, knows the club very well, respects the entity and helps the people he works with a lot. When the time comes, we’ll talk about his future.”
Laporta stated that they will look to extend Xavi's contract but currently their priority lie on financial viability plans and buying and registering players.