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The end is nearing for Josep Maria Bartomeu and his reign at the Camp Nou, as he and the Barcelona board will face a vote of no confidence.
On Thursday it was announced that the club validated 16,521 signatures that were necessary to force a referendum, which would likely see the hapless boss sent to pack after years of controversy and lack of ambition.
The vote in favor of a referendum does not surprise the faithful of Barcelona, who have been dismayed by the Bartomeu administration.
Bartomeu has also managed to steer clear of the Catalan fan base following Lionel Messi’s contract saga earlier this summer.
But although Messi agreed to stay one more season and not take their contract dispute to court, the misery of the fans was compounded after the club struggled to attract several big-name targets while several established first team players left.
In recent years, it has become a common trend for Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in the world, to fight to attract new stars, either due to lack of finances or the ongoing turmoil that casts a shadow over the Nou. To camp.
But which players did Barcelona miss during Bartomeu’s reign and why? Here, Sportsmail takes a look at ten outfield players the Spanish giants were unable to recruit.
INIGO MARTINEZ
In 2017, then-Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde was eager to strengthen his bottom line with the addition of Athletic Bilbao defender Íñigo Martínez, who was still at Real Sociedad.
The Catalan giants had agreed to a five-year contract for Martínez, but then the move was blocked by La Real president Jokin Apperibay.
Martínez accused Apperibay of not keeping his word and letting him join Barcelona before being sold to Bilbao in January 2018.
While Bartomeu can’t take the blame that the transfer didn’t go through, he will be remembered as another great defender who has escaped the cracks.
MATTHIJS THE LIE
In 2019, Matthijs de Ligt became the most sought-after defender in world football, as he came close to guiding Ajax to a Champions League final alongside players like Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek.
At age 20, the 2018 Golden Boy winner was considered a perfect fit with the Barcelona system given that he was good on his feet, powerful and possessed brilliant leadership qualities at such a young age.
This saw Barcelona go head-to-head with Juventus for the Dutchman, but it was the Old Woman who would win the race by signing.
And although he’s gotten off to a slower than expected start in Turin, de Ligt revealed that he turned down Barcelona to become a “more complete player” at Juventus.
ERIC GARCÍA
The Manchester City central defender has made no secret of his desire to return to Barcelona, having risen through the ranks of the club’s famous La Masia academy.
Garcia, who is in the final year of his contract with City, was desperate to do something this summer, but the transfer never materialized.
The 19-year-old has also refused to sign a new contract at the Etihad and even offered to take a pay cut, with the Spaniard eager to make a return a reality.
While Garcia is expected to rejoin the club for free once his contract at City expires, he becomes another defender Bartomeu has been unable to recruit during his reign.
ADRIEN RABIOT
Another promising talent who decided to choose Juventus over Barcelona was Adrien Rabiot.
The French midfielder seemed confident he would complete his move to Camp Nou in the summer of 2019, having agreed to a move a few months earlier when his contract at Paris Saint-Germain ran out.
However, reports in Spain claim that their move to Catalonia failed because they refused to comply with a series of demands from Rabiot.
Rabiot reportedly did not want to play at No. 6 and preferred a position higher up the field, while conversations with his agent and mother, Veronique, suggested that they try to increase their entry fee.
MARCO VERRATTI
And speaking of unsuccessful plays by PSG players, Marco Verratti becomes the second player out of three on this list to not go to Barça.
In 2016, Barcelona had reportedly lined up a big money move for the Italian as they searched for Xavi’s successor in the heart of midfield.
And the Spanish side were offering Verratti a huge salary to join, but the midfielder ended up staying despite the large amount of money that was put on the table.
WILLIAN
Before joining Arsenal on a free transfer earlier this summer, Willian found himself embroiled in a transfer saga with Barcelona, who were eager to bring the 31-year-old to LaLiga on high salaries.
Bartomeu reportedly offered Chelsea £ 50 million in 2018 for the winger before rekindling interest in him in January.
This time the offer was reportedly £ 20 million, but the Blues turned it down, leaving the Catalans to withdraw their interest.
NEYMAR
The highest-profile name on the list and the third PSG player denied a move to Barca: Neymar’s long-awaited return seemed to be on the cards this summer after Messi urged the club’s hierarchy to do everything try his best to get his Brazilian friend back.
And with Messi behind the play, at one point it seemed as if the Argentine would get his wish.
Neymar completed a £ 198 million move to PSG in 2017, in which Barcelona invested a lot of that in big money moves for Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, both of whom failed to meet the respective expensive prices.
In the years since leaving Barcelona, Neymar has been continually linked with a return to Spain with Real Madrid also interested in the winger.
However, the French champions refused to sell their prized asset, which set the wheels in motion for Messi’s attempts to leave the club.
RODRIGO
With Luis Suárez destined for departure, Barcelona were desperate to find his replacement last year.
In the winter window this January, Barça bosses had identified Valencia’s Spanish forward Rodrigo as his successor, but could not agree on a price for the 29-year-old.
Valencia was reportedly demanding £ 50 million for him, which turned out to be too much.
Seven months and £ 35 million later, Rodrigo is on the Elland Road as the newly promoted Leeds beat the Catalan giants.
MEMPHIS DEPAY
Memphis Depay has managed to revive his career at Lyon after a nightmare at Manchester United.
So much so, the Dutchman’s action has risen again, prompting Barcelona to register their interest in the transfer window this summer.
However, Bartomeu let the negotiations go to the end for Depay with Lyon poised to sell his employer for just £ 25 million.
One move was heavily reliant on sending injury-prone Dembélé, who, at one point, looked like he was heading to Old Trafford.
There were also reports that the Catalan club was unable to pay the fee due to financial complications related to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving fans frustrated in the market once again.
LAUTARO MARTINEZ
Barcelona made Lautaro Martínez their No.1 transfer target earlier this year after announcing themselves on the world stage with Inter Milan.
While Neymar’s return seemed impractical, it was believed that a move for the Argentine would happen with the Catalan club seeing Martinez as Suárez’s long-term successor as a forward.
However, his £ 90 million price tag proved too much for Bartomeu, who ended up admitting defeat in his search for the forward.
Martinez’s contract at Inter will expire in 2023, but it seems likely that the forward will now agree to new terms with the club, which will make a future move to Barcelona slightly more expensive.
RESPONSIBLE: XAVI
Former Barcelona player and Al Sadd manager Xavi has been linked to a fairytale return to the Camp Nou with many fans hoping the legendary midfielder can turn things around.
Xavi lined up as one of the men to replace Quique Setien, who endured a difficult time as boss.
Setién was quickly fired after allowing Real Madrid to overtake them in the race to win LaLiga before suffering a humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Bartomeu hinted that Xavi would return “sooner or later”, but it appears that the club’s current crisis under the hiss reign was enough to dissuade Xavi from returning.
“There is a lot of external noise at the club, a lot of problems off the pitch and I don’t think this is the right time,” Xavi told Icon magazine in August.
Xavi signed a new contract with the Qatari team earlier this summer and, following the appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager, his return seems a long way off.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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