Club legend Deco has been working as Barcelona’s Sporting Director for a few months now. The former Portugal international was heavily involved in the club’s dealings during the summer transfer window and is set to become more influential in the coming days.
With Mateu Alemany vacating the position of Barcelona’s Director of Football, Deco will now have an even bigger say in the club’s transfer strategy. And as per reports, Deco has already started making moves inside the club.
Deco Sets New Age Limit For Barcelona Signings
According to a report from Spanish outlet SPORT, Deco wants to change the club’s transfer strategy in order to build a better future. It has been claimed that Deco has instructed scouts not to monitor players over the age of 30, as he believes the club already have too many 30+ players at their disposal. As of now, the Spanish champions have seven 30+ players in their squad: Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, Oriol Romeu, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marcos Alonso, Sergi Roberto, and Inigo Martinez.
Although players over the age of 30 can bring a lot of quality, Deco feels they carry very little sell-on value, which hurts Barca’s chances of generating revenue when the need arises. The Blaugrana will reportedly continue to keep tabs on capable free agents over the age of 30, but big-money switches, akin to Robert Lewandowski’s transfer from Bayern Munich in 2022, could become obsolete.
During the meeting with Barca scouts, a lack of coordination between the Barca Atletic, the senior team, and the management was identified. Measures have been taken to make the communication between all parties a lot smoother. Scouts have also been instructed to single out players with an upward trajectory. Based on Deco’s new instructions, Barcelona will identify their new targets in November.
Barca To Sell A Big Name Next Summer
Additionally, Deco and the club have acknowledged the need to offload a high-profile player next summer. The Catalans want breathing room within their salary limit restrictions, which is impossible without selling a top player. It is unclear which players Barcelona have put on the potential transfer list, as the club’s top assets, Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong are all considered unsellable.
Raphinha is another player who has long been linked with a move away from the club. Unless he pulls up his socks, it will not be surprising to see him end up on the list.
