De Jong, Messi, Umtiti… Laporta takes stock of the transfer window

Will Barça return to the top this season? With XXL recruitment and the arrivals of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Koundé and Franck Kessié, the Catalans are once again aiming for the heights for this 2022-2023 financial year. This evening, the club’s supporters will be able to discover the new recruits during the traditional Gamper Trophy against the Mexican team Pumas, where the club’s new players are presented each year. And before the kick-off scheduled for 8 p.m., Joan Laporta answered questions from journalists, in particular on the various hot issues of the moment.

“De Jong? He wants to stay”

Regarding Frenkie De Jong, he once again indicated his desire to see him stay: “Having Frenkie in the middle is a pleasure and gives us level. We want to keep him and he wants to stay”, explaining afterwards that all the rookies should be registered soon: “This week we will work to register players. A big effort has been made and although we expect further losses, we believe that all players will be able to be registered.” Moreover, he spoke about two undesirables, Samuel Umtiti and Martin Braithwaite: “They understood that the best thing was to go and play for another team. Their contracts have always been respected, but the time has come when they have to take a step forward.” Finally, he dropped a short sentence that should be all the rage in Spain, concerning Lionel Messi: “My relationship with the Messi family is good”, enough to make more than one fan dream when the club could try to bring him back. next year at the end of his contract with PSG.