"Neither Lewandowski, nor Koundé, nor Raphinha, nor Bernardo Silva will come!" - Ex-Barcelona presidential candidate urges fans not to believe media speculation
As per AS, Toni Freixa, who ran in the Barcelona 2021 presidential election, has urged fans not to get swayed by some of the big transfer rumors doing the rounds in the media.
Freixa feels that the Catalan club won't be able to sign any of the big names that have been linked with them recently. He stated that all the media hype surrounding possible moves for Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, Bernardo Silva, and Raphinha is misleading the fans.
Freixa shared his opinion on Twitter and posed a rhetorical question for his followers, indicating that neither Lewandowski, Koundé, Raphinha, nor Bernardo Silva will be coming to Barcelona this summer.
Sabeu que no vindran ni Lewandowski, ni Koundé, ni Raphinha, ni Bernardo Silva oi? Ho sabeu oi?
His tweet, in Spanish, roughly translates as below:
"Do you know that Lewandowski, Koundé, Raphinha, and Bernardo Silva will not come? You know that, right?"
Freixa ran against current Barcelona president Joan Laporta in last year's elections. He finished last, earning just 8.58% of the votes (as per the club's Twitter account). Laporta won the election with a clear majority as 54.28% of the members voted for him.
He began his second term in office last year but found the club in a much different position than his first stint between 2003 and 2010. Laporta stepped down in 2010 as the most successful president in terms of trophies won per year.
Barcelona have not made any major signings ahead of the 2022-23 season
Barcelona have had a pretty quiet transfer window by their standards and the only new face in their squad is 19-year-old Pablo Torre from Racing Santander.
The La Liga giants continue to be linked with several players, including Lewandowski, Koundé, Silva, and Raphinha. However, no progress has been made in the negotiations with these targets.
The club's delicate financial situation (a debt of €1.35 billion, as of August, 2021, as per Goal) is preventing them from moving ahead with these deals. Lewandowski has already stated his desire to play for Blaugrana (as per Football-Espana). Bernardo Silva will also be allowed to leave Manchester City for the Catalans if the offer is right, as per COPE.
@tonifreixa, en @partidazocope 
"Yo no compro la moto de los fichajes del @FCBarcelona"
"Se está vendiendo humo descaradamente que choca con la realidad y no tengo más remedio que avisar a la gente de que esto no se va a producir"
#PartidazoCOPE🔵🔴 @tonifreixa, en @partidazocope
❌ "Yo no compro la moto de los fichajes del @FCBarcelona"
🙈 "Se está vendiendo humo descaradamente que choca con la realidad y no tengo más remedio que avisar a la gente de que esto no se va a producir"
📻 #PartidazoCOPE https://t.co/vOzLnB56MH
Freixa also spoke to COPE recently regarding the media speculation surrounding the potential transfers. He stated that he does not believe that Barca are not in any position to secure any big-name signings and that the fans should not be under any illusions. Freixa said (as per Marca):
"I do not buy the motorcycle of the signings of FC Barcelona. Smoke is shamelessly being sold that collides with reality and I have no choice but to warn people that this is not going to happen."