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Barcelona travel to the Mestalla on Saturday (December 16) to face Valencia in La Liga. The Blaugrana are fourth in the league after 16 games, trailing surprise leaders Girona (41.
Meanwhile, the reigning La Liga champions have received a boost in their plans to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich. Elsewhere, manager Xavi has no intentions to resign from his position at the Camp Nou.
On that note, here's a look at the key Barcelona transfer stories as on December 16, 2023:
Barcelona receive Joshua Kimmich boost
Barcelona have received a boost in their plans to sign Joshua Kimmich. According to journalist Christian Falk, the German midfielder could leave Bayern Munich in the summer.
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Kimmich is among the players being eyed by the Blaugrana and could be a perfect replacement for the legendary Sergio Busquets, who joined Inter Miami this summer.
In his column for Caught Offside, Falk added that the 28-year-old is looking for an agent, which could hint at his desire to move to a foreign league.
"It’s not clear what will happen with Joshua Kimmich’s future. The club is monitoring him, as he’s not putting in his best performances at the moment. Bayern want to keep him. His current contract runs until 2025, and he’s one of the top earners on €20m-a-year.
"Now they have to talk about a new contract, and the club is saying he can’t get more with these performances. If they can’t find a solution, perhaps both sides will agree to part ways," wrote Falk.
He continued:
“Kimmich is the only player at Bayern Munich who doesn’t have an agent, but if he were to seek an exit to another country, he would need to change that to make things easier.
"Barcelona and Premier League clubs are monitoring, but he’ll need an agent if he wishes to secure a transfer abroad. I have heard that he has asked around for an agent."
The La Liga champions brought in Oriol Romeu from Girona this summer to replace Busquets, but he has been a disappointment so far.
Xavi not planning to resign
Xavi is not planning to hand his resignation amid the continued struggles of his team.
Barcelona have endured a difficult season, with their performances on the pitch failing to impress. Back-to-back defeats against Girona (La Liga) and Royal Antwerp (UEFA Champions League) have given rise to rumours that the Spanish manager is on borrowed time.
However, speaking to the press as cited by Barca Blaugranes, a bullish Xavi sounded optimistic about turning things around.
"Resigning? No, no, no, no, no. There might be a reset at the end of the season, but right now I remain optimistic and excited. We can still have a great season. I believe in the project, in the players, and I have a great relationship with the president, with Deco and the rest of management.
"We have been working well together for two years. We are halfway to making Barca great again, and I’m surprised that people are down on us after the first bad moment," said Xavi.
He continued:
"Everyone needs to be united: fans, players, coaches, directors. The media is not like that, from what I see. You have to believe in the players and the project, yet you sound the alarm every time something doesn’t go well.
"We are still playing for everything. We were at a worse point this time last season, and we still did something great. We have to be positive.”
Xavi won the league and the Spanish Supercup last season.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez wanted Neymar to stay at Camp Nou
Barcelona legend Luis Suarez has revealed that he and Lionel Messi had advised Neymar against joining Paris Saint-Germain.
The three forwards constituted the fabled 'MSN' trio at the Camp Nou and enjoyed tremendous success. Their partnership eventually disbanded when the Brazilian left to join the Parisians in 2017.
Speaking to Clank, Suarez said that Neymar could have reached greater heights had he stayed with Lionel Messi.
"We were very good friends, and we knew if we fulfilled our roles on the pitch, we would make Barcelona great. If one of us did not play well, the other two would make the difference. It was a spectacular relationship.
"We told him it was a mistake to go to PSG. If Ney wanted to be the best, he had to stay by Leo’s side. But he made his decision, and it left a void in the team," said Suarez.
The Brazilian had a second run with Lionel Messi after the Argentinean joined PSG in 2021, but their partnership ended this summer.
