Barcelona and Liverpool missed out on the title last season, but have yet to introduce any new signings, in contrast to the strong investments made by their rivals.
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Barcelona and Liverpool missed out on winning the title last season, but despite that, they are the only two European 'giants' that have yet to add any new talent to their squads during this transfer window. Both teams are still working to secure significant signings before the transfer window closes, but so far, it's their rivals who are leading in the market.
Still under strict financial constraints, Barcelona is actively seeking new players but has yet to present any new names to their fans. The Catalans finished La Liga in third place, behind their eternal rivals Real Madrid and a surprising Girona, a situation they do not wish to see repeated. Reinforcing the squad is necessary, especially after the departures of players like João Cancelo and João Félix, who returned to their parent clubs after their loan spells ended.
The transfer market has entered its final month, and some teams are lagging behind in building their squads. Others, like Bayern, are making strong investments to redeem themselves from past mistakes. In comparison with their rivals, the contrast is stark. While Barcelona has only managed to secure the permanent signing of Pau Víctor, who was on loan from Girona to the B team and will now stay permanently, Real Madrid has introduced Endrick, for whom they paid €47.5 million, and secured the signing of Mbappé, who arrives on a free transfer in a deal with high costs in terms of bonuses and salary. Girona also aims to maintain their good form from the previous season and invested over €20 million in the trio of Abel Ruiz, Krejci, and Francés, while also bringing in Van de Beek from Manchester United for a 'symbolic' €500,000.
In England, the Reds are in a similar situation, albeit without the financial restrictions of the Catalans. Liverpool has been slow to introduce new faces at Anfield, prompting an explanation from Arne Slot. 'We have very good players, and it's difficult to find others who would improve those already in the squad. The sporting director is working hard to bring in new players, but not for any particular position,' he assured.
Liverpool's star players remain the same: Salah and Darwin are among them. The objective at Liverpool is to avoid a repeat of last season, where the Reds fell short in the final stages of the Premier League, leaving Man. City and Arsenal to battle it out for the title. Although the English league has been more restrained than in previous years, Man. City secured Savinho, and Arsenal, determined to end their long title drought, made a strong investment in signing Calafiori.
Despite not having made any signings yet, both Barcelona and Liverpool have been linked with potential major transfers. The Catalans are close to securing Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig) and are attempting to sign Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), both European champions with Spain, while Liverpool has been linked with defenders Bremer (Juventus) and Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace).
In the other three major European leagues, Bayern is the biggest spender. The Bavarians finished last season’s Bundesliga in third place and made strong investments to secure the signings of Olise, Palhinha, and Hiroki Ito. Champions Leverkusen have been more restrained, but still added players like Terrier and Aleix García to their squad. In Italy, Juventus has made the most significant investments, securing Douglas Luiz and Khéphren Thuram, while in France, Brest enters the final weeks of the transfer window without any new faces compared to the 2023/24 season.
Updated: 04:18, 6 Aug 2024
