Addressing the media in a long overdue press conference, club president Joan Laporta claimed that they will announce new signings next week once club football officially ends for the season after this Saturday’s Champions League final in Porto.
One of those supposed new signings has been a non-secret for way too long and could be made official as early as Monday – Argentine Sergio Aguero.
Supposedly joining from Manchester City on his Bosman status, one would by now assume there would be hardly any glitches in the transfer. However, according to a report published by Mundo Deportivo, his transfer actually hinges totally on the continuity of Lionel Messi at Camp Nou, whose future at the Catalonian club is still one of football’s current mysteries at this point.
Messi and Aguero’s close friendship from their youth days is well documented in the footballing world with the duo having shared the pitch as early as 2008, winning the Olympic Games with the Argentine national team. And it would make perfect sense that they begin their journey into their twilight playing years at the same club before deciding on their final years.
Apart from being a free transfer, Aguero’s move has also been viewed by observers as a not too well concealed chessboard move by the Barcelona board to convince Messi to extend his contract with Barcelona. After the debacle that took place last summer, Joan Laporta and his new board would want to make sure they leave no stone unturned in an attempt to keep Messi happily blowing champagne bubbles at the Catalan capital.
Among those stones not to be left unturned, as Laporta has only been too keen to promise, would be a major sporting project, which seems to be of utmost importance to Messi. Aguero would be one of the first names in this project, but the club could very well announce Georginio Wijnaldum, Memphis Depay, and Eric Garcia in the first week of June.
Some departures are expected to take place almost immediately as well, with barely any player in the squad risk-free. A revolution, or may aptly a purge, awaits, and fans will be the witness of its ultimate success or failure.
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
