Barcelona Pursues Alternative Plan Centered on La Masia Amid Transfer Challenges

The 2026 World Cup kicks off today, Thursday, and Barcelona has yet to complete any sales apart from Robert Lewandowski's departure. However, the club surprised by signing Anthony Gordon for 80 million euros.

Though the summer transfer window remains lengthy, Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, has clarified the club's priorities.

According to Mundo Deportivo, citing accurate sources, Barcelona's main summer targets include striker Julián Álvarez, left-center back Alessandro Bastoni, the continuation of João Cancelo's loan, and considering the purchase option for Marcus Rashford.

Rashford's impressive end-of-season form, combined with his strong statistics in goals and assists, has prompted Barcelona to reconsider the previously agreed 30 million euros fee with Manchester United.

The English player was eager to stay at Barcelona, despite his salary at Camp Nou being, and expected to remain, lower than what he earned at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, some reports indicate that Rashford was informed he would not remain at Barcelona, leading to an immediate reaction where he removed Barcelona from his social media accounts, showing his sadness about the departure.

João Cancelo's situation is also deteriorating. It is described as a long battle in which the Portuguese player must exert maximum effort to free himself from his parent club, Al Hilal Saudi, but the outlook is not promising.

On another note, the Catalan newspaper mentioned that Bastoni's price demanded by Inter Milan is considered too high, which may lead Barcelona to renew Andreas Christensen's contract. Although Christensen is not regarded as a world-class defender, he consistently fills gaps in the squad.

Despite finally meeting the requirement to register one player for each existing squad member, Barcelona still struggles to sign the players it desires.

The newspaper concluded: "Perhaps this is for the best. This way, they can continue to utilize La Masia, the club's true treasure. When this is the alternative plan and the youth academy is the solution, we are in a good position."