Barcelona confirm transfer plan amid Lionel Messi's Camp Nou comeback rumours

Football Club Barcelona's financial troubles are not a thing of the past despite the club sanctioning multiple "economic levers" to raise funds earlier this summer. The Catalan giants spend around £140 million on players this summer, but their main focus remained on players at the end of their contracts.

The La Liga giants' £140 million spend was on three players - Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha - while four others arrived on free transfers. Barcelona were also forced to offload players in order to balance their wage bill to allow the club to register new players.

Despite selling off future TV rights and the club's licensing rights - they remain in the red going into 2023. Barcelona's sporting director Matheu Alemany has confirmed that the club's transfer strategy will not change going into the upcoming transfer windows.

The Catalan club is continuing to monitor players in the final year of their contracts, and will make moves to get ahead in the queue. The likes of Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, Franck Kessie and Marcos Alonso arrived in the same manner this summer, and more such signings are expected going forward.

"They have rejected important offers to come to Barça and we value that," Alemany said, thanking the players that arrived earlier this summer, as quoted on Sport.

"More and more we have to focus on the market of free players. This year we have done it with Kessie, Christensen, Marcos Alonso and Bellerín, and there are many more to come."

While a number of players may be on Barcelona's radar, the one player they are desperate to sign on a free is former captain Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar is currently at PSG, and is on the final year of his contract at the Parc des Princes.

It was Barcelona's financial trouble that saw Messi leave the Camp Nou in the first place in 2021, and they are keen to bring him back next summer. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is not ready to make a decision on his future until after the World Cup later in the year, but the La Liga side remains confident in re-signing him next year.