The president of FC Barcelona is all too aware of the intrigue surrounding the summer transfer window. Josep Maria Bartomeu also knows he can’t say much about it. “Some players will come. Others will leave. That’s normal,” said Bartomeu, who is in Boston this week giving presentations at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“But no doubt, without saying names _ I cannot say names _ because probably a lot of them are under negotiation by the people of the club,” he said Friday “Of course, so many players will appear.” His team reportedly is interested in forward Antoine Griezmann of Spanish league rival Atletico Madrid. While Bartomeu expects his team to be active during the transfer period, he told The Associated Press that Barca is just as focused on promoting from its B team as it is in looking elsewhere.
Barcelona won the Copa del Rey and captured its 25th La Liga title this season. But it was eliminated by Roma in the quarterfinals Champions League quarterfinals in April following Neymar’s transfer to Paris St. Germain last year.
“Philipe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele helped ease the void left by Neymar’s departure. Asked if Barcelona is still in need of a more permanent replacement for Neymar, Bartomeu said the team is always evaluating its needs. “Coutinho, Dembele are for us a big investment,” he said. “They are very important players that we expect from them a lot. Coutinho probably in the last four months has been very active for the team. But Dembele is a very young player.”