Barcelona confirm key man's departure next month

Spanish La Liga champions Barcelona have confirmed that sporting director Jordi Cruyff will leave on June 30, when his contract expires.

Barca, who won their 27th La Liga title this season, are set to lose another key personnel this summer after Mateu Alemany. Jordi, son of legendary Johan Cryuff, joined Barcelona as their sporting director in September 2021 as part of Joan Laporta’s administrative restructure.

The 49-year-old, who also represented the Blaugrana as a player, has done a commendable job at the Camp Nou since being appointed. In close association with club president Joan Laporta, director of football Mateu Alemany and manager Xavi Hernandez, Cryuff steadied the ship during troubled times for the Blaugrana.

Cruyff’s contract with the club expires on June 30, and it was speculated that he could leave at the end of the season. The Blaugrana have now confirmed that the Dutchman is indeed leaving, confirming on their website:

“FC Barcelona’s sporting director, Jordi Cruyff, will not renew his contract with the club at the end of the current season due to the desire to undertake new professional projects.

"This is what he communicated this morning to the president of the entity, Joan Laporta, in an emotional meeting in which Cruyff argued his departure in search of new challenges after two seasons at Barca. The club thanks Jordi Cruyff for his important contribution as a member of the Sports Commission and wishes him the best of luck in his new professional path.”

Barcelona have big shoes to fill this summer with Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cryuff set to leave. Deco is being touted as a possible replacement for Alemany's director of football role as he looks set for a move to Aston Villa.

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Robert Lewandowski will prefer Premier League move if Barcelona sell him

Robert Lewandowski reportedly prefers a move to the Premier League over returning to Bayern Munich if Barcelona decide to sell him this summer.

As reported by Spanish outlet El Nacional, Thomas Tuchel's latest comments about Lewandowski have been interpreted as a hint that he wants to sign the Poland international. Tuchel said:

"We don't have that figure, even though we had Robert before. We miss Lewandowski and his 40 goals. If you look at the most dominant teams playing in the semifinals of the Champions League, they both have a decisive striker."

Lewandowski joined the Blaugrana for €40 million last summer from Bayern Munich and has been excellent. The 34-year-old has scored 31 goals and produced seven assists in 42 games for the Blaugrana across competitions, playing a key role in their La Liga triumph.