Joan Laporta promises 'at least 4 signings' at Barcelona this summer
By Tom Gott
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has vowed to deliver no fewer than four new signings to Camp Nou this summer.
After last summer's cost-cutting operations, Barcelona have bounced back well and are planning to launch a push for the La Liga title again next season, although transfer funds are still not as plentiful as they once were.
Free transfers are expected to be Barcelona's modus operandi in the coming months. An agreement with AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie has already been reached and Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen is expected to follow suit soon.
Club team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta remains a target, as does Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui.
“We will complete at least four signings," Laporta told El Periodico. "The idea is to reinforce the attack, midfield and defence.”
Just who that forward signing will be remains to be seen. Laporta remains infatuated with Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, while there have been bizarre links to Kylian Mbappe in recent days which have predictably been rubbished.
In a separate interview with Mundo Deportivo, Laporta stressed he will not sacrifice Barcelona's financial position just to make one signing.
“I will not talk about specific players but I can tell you that we will not do any deals that puts the club at risk," he explained. "The members can be calm because we are not going to lose our heads over an operation of this magnitude.
“Most players want to come to Barcelona, they like the club, the team, our philosophy, our way of working, of interpreting football. And this is good, we are seeing this in many cases and on a daily basis.
“They will have to adapt to Barcelona’s salary levels and to an economic structure of the deal that maintains the sustainability and balance of the club.”