The most pressing concern at Barcelona this summer is the serious knee injury to Frenkie de Jong, who returned from the World Cup in poor condition and now faces several months on the sidelines. The club is reportedly furious with Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman and the Dutch medical staff, feeling they were misled about the midfielder's fitness during the tournament. Losing De Jong for a significant stretch of the season is a major setback for Hansi Flick, who must now plan around a depleted midfield as pre-season begins.

On the transfer front, Barcelona have moved decisively to strengthen the squad. Karim Adeyemi arrived from Borussia Dortmund for a reported €29 million after completing his medical, and Anthony Gordon joined from Newcastle in what has been described as a significant summer outlay. Robert Lewandowski, meanwhile, has departed for Chicago Fire in MLS, bringing his time at the club to a close. His exit leaves a gap up front that the club appears to be working to address, with Barcelona reportedly preparing to contact representatives of Aymeric Laporte following his outstanding World Cup with Spain, and PSG's withdrawal from the race for Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi potentially opening another avenue.

The competitive picture adds urgency to these decisions. Barcelona finished third in LaLiga last season and suffered a 3-1 defeat at Valencia in their final league fixture. With pre-season friendlies now underway, including a home game against CE Europa on July 24, the club must resolve the De Jong situation and finalise further recruitment before the new campaign begins.