According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona's sporting director Deco made excellent moves this summer, building a strong squad for Flick despite failing to sign Julian Álvarez.
After Hansi Flick led the team to their last two league titles, Barcelona focused on strengthening their squad and overall strength during the summer transfer window, aiming to help the German coach continue his pursuit of more accolades. The Blaugrana will continue their battle with Real Madrid for dominance in Spanish football, but their bigger goal remains the Champions League, a trophy they last lifted in 2015.
To this end, the sporting management, led by Deco, made great efforts and ultimately finalized as many as seven new signings. The most notable is Rodri, the reigning World Cup's best player, who will lead a star-studded midfield alongside Pedri, Gavi, Bernal, Fermín, Olmo, and Frenkie de Jong. It was de Jong's injury that prompted Barcelona to consider signing Rodri, and Deco swiftly completed the move, catching many off guard, including Real Madrid. Real Madrid had already decided that the midfielder would join, as Mourinho's new plans desperately needed such a piece.
Deco also bolstered Barcelona's attack by bringing in four players. The most significant signing was Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for a fixed fee of €70 million plus €10 million in add-ons. The player had already won over the Camp Nou fans in his first few matches. Deco also capitalized on the market by signing Adyeimi to fill the void left by Rashford's departure; he also bet on young talent Bisiboo, signing him from Club Brugge for €8.5 million. This player can rotate between the first team and reserves, as can the Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim.
The final signing was Gabriel Jesus, another opportunistic acquisition. However, this signing of the Brazilian striker was only finalized after Barcelona's primary summer target, Julian Álvarez, failed to materialize. With Lewandowski's departure and Ferran Torres' transfer to PSG, Flick's team lost its goal-scoring guarantee, and this Atlético Madrid striker was expected to fill those gaps. Barcelona submitted a €100 million offer to Atlético Madrid, but despite pressure from the player himself, Atlético refused to sell him. Had the deal gone through, it would have been a perfect ending to the current Barcelona sporting director's summer transfer window.
Deco strengthened every line throughout the summer. Considering Szczesny's retirement in a year, Barcelona resolved their goalkeeping issue early, signing Croatian goalkeeper Livakovic, who now serves as Joan Garcia's backup. In defense, Cancelo, who had previously played for Barcelona on loan twice, has officially become a Barcelona player after terminating his contract with Al-Hilal and becoming a free agent. Furthermore, although not a new signing, Espart has already been registered with the first team, which is also a valuable addition. The only regret is the lack of a left-footed center-back.
The sporting director also did an excellent job of offloading players Flick didn't need. Ter Stegen was loaned to Ajax, Araujo to Liverpool, and Casado to Deportivo La Coruña; however, Barcelona originally hoped to sell the academy graduate outright for a substantial sum. Deco recouped funds by selling Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain, dealing with loaned-out players like Iñaki Peña, Fati, and Hector Ford, and sending away a number of youth team players without first-team places, such as Tommy Marquez, Guillemot, Toni Fernandes, Hofre Torrenz, and Álvaro Cortés.
