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Joan Laporta has always known how to surround himself with people who are well connected in the game and who can help him with whatever he needs.
Laporta has maintained these friendships throughout the years and now that he has been re-elected as Barcelona president, he is ready to summon the likes of Pini Zahavi, Mino Raiola and Jorge Mendes to try to help him rebuild this Barcelona team.
Laporta and Zahavi
Zahavi is an experienced agent who knows the transfer market well and his relationship with Laporta dates back to his first stint as president at Barcelona in 2003.
He tried to convince David Beckham to opt for the Camp Nou over Real Madrid in 2003, but the deal was already made with the capital’s team and Barcelona signed Ronaldinho.
Zahavi was also instrumental in Neymar’s big money change to Paris Saint Germain and Laporta was a guest at his daughter’s wedding.
The couple met two weeks ago alongside another agent, Fali Ramadani, and Laporta left the match with high hopes of signing David Alaba from Real Madrid. It seems unlikely that Zahavi will give false hope to such a close friend even though Alaba has struck a deal with Los Blancos.
Laporta and Mendes
Mendes helped bring a number of top-tier players to Barcelona, including Portuguese star Deco, and came close to bringing Cristiano Ronaldo at an incredible price before moving to Manchester United.
He also worked to try to ensure that José Mourinho was Frank Rijkaard’s replacement in 2008, although Pep Guardiola eventually landed the job.
Laporta has kept in touch with Mendes over the years and his attention will now turn to extending his client Ansu Fati’s contract at the club.
Laporta and Raiola
Raiola is one of the best agents in the world of football and, together with Laporta, he brought Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club, a deal for which Raiola has always been grateful for the commission he received.
In previous elections, Laporta tried to take advantage of Raiola’s connection to Paul Pogba, saying that if the Frenchman, who eventually signed for Manchester United, won, he would move to the Camp Nou.
Raiola represents one of the best prospects in football, Erling Haaland. Even though Barcelona’s finances are not ready for such a potentially costly transfer, if there were ever a possibility of it happening, the friendship between Raiola and the current Barcelona president could play a role.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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