On January 10th, Beijing time, according to Spanish media TV3, Barcelona offered 50 million euros plus the abandonment of Trinkong's future transfer share for Gikres.
Never imagined such a path!
Recently, more and more media have revealed that Barcelona plans to sign a center forward.
The reason is obvious; everyone knows that veteran Lewandowski is unstable.
Lewandowski has scored many goals, with 18 league appearances, 1485 minutes, and 16 goals.
However, he has also missed many shots, with 14 missed scoring opportunities.
His form is unpredictable, making it imperative to sign a new center forward for both the present and the future.
There aren't many good prospects in the market, like Osimen, who not only demands a high price but also requires high wages and competition with other financially strong clubs.
After considering various options, Gikres seems to be a good choice.
This season, he has scored 21 goals and created 2 assists in 17 Portuguese Super League matches, and in 6 Champions League matches, he has 5 goals and 1 assist, making his statistics invincible.
Sporting CP is asking for 70 million to 75 million euros, which is not cheap.
Barcelona finds it difficult to bear this cost, but the management miraculously conceived the idea of using 50% of Trinkong's future secondary transfer share as compensation.
In the summer of 2023, Trinkong was sold by Barcelona to Sporting CP for 7 million euros, and in the previous two seasons, he scored nearly 15 goals each.
This season, after 17 league appearances, he has scored 6 goals and provided 8 assists, showing even greater prowess.
His market value has risen to 23 million euros.
Considering this trend and Sporting CP's ability to hype, selling him for 30 to 40 million euros should not be a problem.
The real cash offer of 50 million euros, plus 50% of Trinkong's secondary share, is roughly equivalent to 65 million euros.
Some fans believe that signing a left winger is more important than a center forward.
It's difficult.
Nico Williams' release clause is 60 million euros, which must be paid in one go.
Although Barcelona has returned to a 1:1 ratio, amortizing 68 million (including Olmo) over a season is quite challenging.
Signing Gikres is different, with an annual amortization of around 10 million.
On the same day, Juventus' senior team reporter Giovanni Albanese revealed that Barcelona is also interested in Vlahovic.
Signing Vlahovic would put even more pressure on the club, as his annual salary at Juventus is already as high as 22 million.
If he were to switch teams and receive a pay raise, it would at least be a gesture.
Even if there's no raise, his salary at Barcelona would only be lower than Lewandowski's.
De Jong hasn't been sent away yet, and another high earner is coming.
At this stage, cutting salary expenses is most important.
Regarding sales, the situation with Araujo is somewhat troublesome.
The player has submitted a transfer request to Barcelona, and his agent, Andrés Espinosa, said in an interview with several media outlets on the 10th: "In January this year, Araujo received several offers, the largest of which came from Juventus, but he has not made a final decision because he prioritizes Barcelona."
In essence, this is putting pressure on Barcelona to demand a wage increase.
He currently earns a pre-tax annual salary of 7 million, with a weekly wage of 134,000.
How much he is demanding has not been disclosed by the media, but it is known that the player is negotiating with Barcelona based on offers from other clubs.
I estimate that he should be asking for slightly more than Koundé (13.55 million), around 16 million.
Barcelona has been unwilling to meet this demand, leading to a breakdown in negotiations.
Spanish media "Mundo Deportivo" revealed on January 10th that the club's asking price for Araujo is between 45 and 50 million euros.
Half a year ago, Bayern valued him at 80 million, but after an injury, Barcelona has effectively halved the price?