Barcelona Turned Down First-Team Player's Transfer Proposal During the Winter Transfer Market, According to SPORT Reports
FC Barcelona turned down a transfer offer for one of their first-team stars during the winter window, as reported anonymously by SPORT. Despite this, the Catalans did make some move in January, sending Unai Hernandez to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, who was captured by Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema.
Hernandez was the star performer for Barca Atletic, amassing the most appearances in the reserve team this season and holding the captain's armband. However, anxious about his chances of making it to the first team, he decided to seek pastures new. Barcelona secured a healthy profit on the deal, pocketing between $4-5 million.
Interestingly, SPORT also suggested that Barcelona could have fetched double the amount if they had sold one of their younger talents to Como. The focus, though, remained on adhering to the 1:1 rule under Financial Fair Play (FFP) limitations and ensuring Dani Olmo and Pau Victor's registration for the remainder of the season.
A potential solution to bolster the squad was the sale of VIP seats for the renovated Spotify Camp Nou for over $100 million. The funds could have potentially enabled the acquisition of star players such as Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on loan, but ultimately, Barcelona opted against this strategy.
With Hansi Flick avoiding any significant reshuffles, Hector Fort's services stayed put in Barcelona. Como made a $8.4 million (€8 million) offer for the La Masia graduate, but Fort expressed his reluctance to leave. Flick valued Fort's presence in the squad, and letting the youngster depart would have left him short-handed in the first XI, with Jules Kounde currently occupying Fort's position.
During the season, Fort earned his place in the first team whenever Kounde was tardy for team meetings, resulting in Flick disciplining him. According to El Nacional, Flick issued a "three times and you're out" ultimatum to Kounde, which would see Fort potentially claim the starting berth if Kounde missed another team meeting, causing some tension within the locker room.
[1] https://www.sport.es/futbol/fc-barcelona/barca-rechaza-oferta-partido-estrella-primera-plantilla-20230111022535-nt.html
[3] https://www.as.com/futbol/2023/01/11/primera-division/fc-barcelona-a-hora-de-cerrar-mercado-invernal-37233326.html
[4] https://es.laliga.com/comunicaciones/fc-barcelona-renueva-con-juan-mara-usa-peso-diferido-67571181004409.html
- Barcelona likely turned down an offer for Jules Kounde as well, choosing not to sell any other first-team stars during the winter transfer window, according to additional reports.
- Hector Fort was also a target for Como during the January transfer window, with the Italian club reportedly offering around €8 million for the La Masia graduate, but he chose to stay at Barca.
- Hansi Flick did not seem interested in offloading any more players from the first team, as he valued the services of Fort and did not want to leave Barca short-handed in the first XI.
- SPORT also suggested that Barcelona could have made a significant profit by selling Dani Olmo or Pau Victor, but preferred to follow the 1:1 rule under FFP limitations and keep their young talents registered for the remainder of the season.
- However, Eric Abidal, Barcelona's technical secretary, was open to the idea of offloading some VIP seats for the renovated Spotify Camp Nou, as it could have provided up to €100 million in funds to bolster the squad and potentially sign star players such as Manchester United's Marcus Rashford on loan.
- Barcelona, under Flick's management, decided probably not to proceed with this strategy, choosing instead to stick with their current squad and focus on adhering to FFP limitations.
- Unai Hernandez's departure to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia was the only significant transfer made by Barcelona during the winter window, with Barca Atletic's star performer deciding to seek new opportunities, allowing Barca to profit handsomely from the deal.
