Barcelona set to face competition from recently promoted PL side for Championship star - Reports
Barcelona are reportedly set to face competition for Hull City winger Jaden Philogene. Ipswich Town have made a bid for a Hull duo, including Philogene, plus cash.
Philogene, 22, had a productive 2023-24 season with Hull, bagging 12 goals and six assists - all in the Championship - in 32 games, helping the club finish seventh in the standings.
He's contracted to the club till 2026 but has attracted interest from Barca and now Ipswich. As per The Athletic (via Barca Blaugranes), Ipswich - who will play in the Premier League this season - have made a double swoop for Philogene and Jacob Greaves and ready to make an offer of £35 million plus add-ons.
Meanwhile, Hull owner Acun Ilicali has confirmed interest from Barca, who have reported offered a loan with a purchase option of around €20-23 million. Illicali said (as per talkSport via Barca Blaugranes)
“Yes, everything is true. But I told my fans that I would sign nobody. My idea in football is not to make money, my idea is to make a stronger and bigger club. But to make a bigger club, sometimes if a player says, ‘I want to go’, that is a different case.
“For me, one player change is not the end of the world. But my players, I would never want to rein in their careers or their moves because of a contract I have. So in that case, if Jaden wants to move and he says he wants to go somewhere, this is something we cannot do too much about because this is his life.
He concluded:
“I love all my boys. I am responsible for their careers. So they don’t need to play with us if they don’t want to play with us.”
Barca endured a trophyless campaign last season.
A look at Barcelona's 2023-24 season
Barcelona endured a trophyless 2023-24 campaign, as mentioned above. Their La Liga title defence was ended by their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who finished 10 points clear at the top, losing just once.
Xavi's side also lost to their arch-rivals in the final of the Supercopa Espana at the start of the year before losing to eventual winners Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
In the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona squandered a 4-2 aggregate lead at home to PSG, conceding four unanswered goals after getting reduced to 10 men to lose their way.
At the end of the season, Xavi was let go and replaced by former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick.