'Very dependent on Raphinha and Lamine Yamal' - Deco hints at summer transfers as Barcelona chief makes surprise admission

Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, has claimed the club are overly reliant on wingers Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in an alarming interview ahead of the summer transfer window. The duo have been key in a a strong season that has included trophies in the form of the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey, while La Liga is also almost in the bag, and Deco suggested Barca may need to looking at signing "similar players", to reduce the workload on the pair.

Barcelona are finishing a solid season and remain in the driving seat in the Liga title race with 82 points from 35 games so far, sitting seven points ahead of Real Madrid. But the reliance on Raphinha and Yamal has been obvious, with the duo having played 65 games between in the league alone. Indeed, the Brazilian has also featured in all 14 of their Champions League matches, while Yamal has 13 appearances in Europe's premier club competition.

In an interview with ESPN, Deco expressed confidence in the current squad and the club’s direction ahead of the summer transfer window: “I don’t believe that this team, given its dynamism and joy, will have anyone wanting to leave. We’ve already renewed most of the players, now we need to take care of the ones that are still there."

Speaking about the growing attacking responsibility shouldered by Raphinha and Yamal, Deco admitted: “Suddenly, we feel very dependent on Raphinha and Lamine. Maybe we need similar players, a solution for them. The squad is quite balanced, and we have a lot of good players in the youth team too.”

Barcelona face Espanyol in the Catalan derby on May 15, with Raphinha and Yamal expected to be the standout players. Once La Liga is done and dusted, they'll be looking to reinforce their squad in an attempt to go one better than the Champions League semi-final they managed in 2024-25 and lift the trophy for the first time since 2015.