Barcelona are moving fast in the summer market, with the sporting department keen to close out a string of open files, chief among them the futures of players who could leave the club this summer.
Catalan newspaper"Sport"report that super-agent Jorge Mendes landed at the private flights lounge at El Prat Airport on Thursday morning to attend Joao Cancelo's unveiling as a new Barcelona player. He then held talks with sporting director Deco, following a lunch that also brought him together with club president Joan Laporta.
Mendes and Deco met for around an hour at a Barcelona hotel. Talk centred mainly on the situations of Marc Casado and Alejandro Balde.
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Deco wanted to brief the Portuguese agent on both men. Casado's case looks the most pressing. The midfielder must find a way out of Barcelona during the current window, while the club works to strike a deal that keeps everyone happy.
Balde's situation is different. The left-back's future remains unresolved, though he isn't facing what the midfielder is going through. Even so, some at the club harbour doubts over his level during certain spells of the season.
"As (Sport) explained earlier, the option of a move to the Saudi league does not appeal to Casado, despite the tempting financial offers he has received, and so Mendes has in recent days intensified his moves to search for clubs in more competitive leagues that would be acceptable to the player," the Catalan newspaper continued.
Barcelona are asking for plenty. The club have set Casado's value at around 40 million euros. Several sides are keen on the young Spaniard, but the Saudi clubs look best placed to meet that figure.
Milan's refusal
Recent days have linked Casado with England's Nottingham Forest and Portugal's Benfica, and Mendes's efforts could throw up other interested clubs. In the end, though, Barcelona may be forced to drop their asking price to get the deal over the line.
Mendes offered the midfielder to Milan too, but the Italian club aren't considering a move at present.
Selling Casado is one of Barcelona's priorities, particularly as the club look to improve their wage margin. They also want to keep a percentage of the player's rights should he be sold on in future, or the option to buy him back.
Casado is under contract with the Blaugrana until 30 June 2028, having renewed in 2024 alongside his promotion to the first team.
He has played 75 official matches for Barcelona so far, scoring one goal and providing 7 assists, and has also featured twice for the senior Spain national team.
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