Gavi gives honest assessment on Jude Bellingham joining Real Madrid
Barcelona midfielder Gavi has insisted that Real Madrid signing Jude Bellingham for an initial €103m is of no consequence to the Catalans, despite being unable to match the financial flex.
Bellingham’s transfer to Real could surpass €130m in total if all add-ons are triggered, potentially pushing the Englishman into the top five most expensive deals of all time - only Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar would have ever moved for more.
But while Real are throwing down enormous money, in stark contrast, Barcelona continue to struggle financially. The Catalans were unable to convince Lionel Messi they would have the available resources to facilitate his return, while new long-agreed contracts for Gavi and Ronald Araujo have only just been green-lighted by La Liga.
Similarly, the club continues to prioritise the pursuit of free transfers due to limited spending power.
That being said, Barcelona won a first La Liga title in four years under the guidance of Xavi in 2022/23, with Gavi at the heart of a primarily young team that will grow together.
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“Barça is not in its best economic moment, but we have come out of the young youth academy and we have a great team,” he told SPORT.
“Madrid can sign whoever they want, I don't care. We have ours and we are going to the death. I'm registered, there's no problem and I'm very happy to be at Barça.”
Having seen Messi choose Inter Miami for a fresh challenge in North America, Barcelona had also been offered the chance to re-sign Neymar. But Xavi quickly ruled it out as an option.
“He’s not in our plan,” the coach said earlier this month. "I really like Ney as a friend, but we have different priorities."
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On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the latest transfer news. On the agenda is future of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi's shock move to Inter Miami, Declan Rice's proposed Arsenal deal, Tottenham's summer plans and more.
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