Barcelona turn their sights away from Serie A star despite transfer speculation: Reports
Barcelona have reportedly ruled out the signing of Juventus winger Federico Chiesa despite recent transfer links. The 26-year-old winger's contract with Juventus ends next summer with the club looking to offload him this summer.
According to MARCA, Barca cannot sign Chiesa due to La Liga's strict Financial Fair Play guidelines. The Catalan side are already struggling to register their recent signing, Dani Olmo, and looking to offload more players to free up their wage bill.
Amid their well-documented financial situation, it is unlikely for La Blaugrana to be able to make any new signings, let alone that of Chiesa. Juventus reportedly want a reported €12 million for the Italian forward which can be a problem for Barca at this point. The club will also have to accommodate him in their wage bill if they sign him.
Moreover, Barcelona believe that they have enough options to cover the left winger position for this season even without new signings. Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Ansu Fati can all cover the position. The club's recent signing, Pau Victor can also play on the left flank.
As of now, Barca must concentrate on completing Dani Olmo's registration with La Liga ahead of their game against Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, August 27. Without the registration, Olmo will not be allowed to play.
"I’m happy with the team I have" - Barcelona coach Hansi Flick makes feelings clear ahead of Rayo Vallecano clash
In a pre-match press conference on August 26, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick made confident claims about the current squad when asked about potential new signings. He said (via forblaugrana):
“I’m not thinking about signings. I’m focusing on the team I have now. I’m really happy and satisfied. If there are new signings, we’ll work with them, but I’m happy with the team I have.”
The German coach also addressed queries about the impending registration of Dani Olmo and his availability for their La Liga clash against Rayo Vallecano. He added:
“I have faith in the club, I believe we can include Olmo in the squad. Every player who can’t help us due to not being registered won't be happy, but he understands the situation we are in”.
Flick has had an impressive start in La Liga with Barcelona after two wins in their first two games against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao. The German also implemented some important changes in the line-up compared to former coach Xavi's approach last season.
Raphinha has been playing an inside midfielder role for a couple of games and Pedri played in a double pivot role. The coach also included Barca Atletic players Marc Bernal and Marc Casado in the La Liga opener against Valencia. The German coach has incorporated a 4-2-3-1 structure, deviating from Xavi's regular 4-3-3 in the line-ups.