Barcelona are working tirelessly to engineer a swap deal for Manchester United's Paul Pogba as Joan Laporta remains intent on making a marquee signing.
Barcelona's financial woes have been well documented. The club are in a tight spot and cannot register their new signings until they bring their wage bill under the La Liga salary cap. Club president Joan Laporta and co. are working on Lionel Messi's contract extension and a number of other deals as well.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 19 July 2021.
Barcelona discussing loan deal for Clement Lenglet with Premier League club
Barcelona are looking to offload several of their players in order to trim their wage bill. According to Gerard Romero via Sport, the Catalans are in negotiations with a Premier League club over a potential loan deal for defender Clement Lenglet.
With the addition of Eric Garcia to the backline, Barcelona can afford to part with Lenglet and are looking for a way to take him off their payroll for the short-term. The clubs are reportedly in talks over a loan deal with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
Everton and West Ham United have been linked with Lenglet. But even though the identity of the interested club is not known, the report claims that it is not the Toffees or the Hammers.
Barcelona linked with Alessio Romagnoli again
AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli has been linked with Barcelona in the past. The Rossoneri have placed him on the market after he refused to renew his contract, which expires next summer.
As per Sport, Barcelona are well-placed to sign him and the two clubs could put together a deal that benefits both parties. AC Milan are reportedly interested in Miralem Pjanic and Philippe Coutinho but are wary of their high wages. They also do not have the funds to pay their transfer fees and would therefore be interested in a swap deal.
The Catalans are looking to offload Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet this summer and that could open up a slot in the Barcelona backline for Romagnoli. Even though the Barcelona sporting directors have not considered Romagnoli their top pick, they now believe that he has enough quality to be roped in.
Barcelona working tirelessly to engineer swap deal for Paul Pogba
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba's current contract expires next summer. If he doesn't extend, the Red Devils could see him leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are looking to offload players like Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Miralem Pjanic in order to balance their books. But club president Joan Laporta remains keen to make a Galactico signing.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans are working tirelessly on a swap deal to sign Paul Pogba. But it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils retain an interest in some of the Barcelona players they have been previously linked with.
Pogba was arguably France's best player in their run to the Round of 16 of Euro 2020. Manchester United's progress over the course of the 2020-21 season has a lot to do with the form exhibited by the likes of Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford among others.
As such, it is also unlikely that United will want to part with their player since they have a solid project in the wor
Manchester United have been linked with Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Umtiti in the past. Most recently, they have been credited with an interest in Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele.
However, Ronald Koeman wants both Fati and Dembele to stay. Barcelona could thus end up offering one of Griezmann, Umtiti, Coutinho or Pjanic in exchange for Pogba.