FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona

William Maddock says he has a signing lined up "of the level of Ronaldinho or Beckham." Maddock is a Barcelona-based businessman and club member who has emerged as a surprise pre-candidate in the presidential race "It's a real bombshell," he said. At Barça, invoking Ronaldinho is kind of a big deal. Mentioning him and Beckham together inevitably brings back memories of 2003, when Joan Laporta campaigned on the English star before pivoting to the Brazilian who changed the club's trajectory.

Barcelona's search for young defensive talent has led the club to closely monitor several promising full-backs across Europe. One of the names that has recently gained attention inside the club's offices is Daniel Banjaqui, a 17-year-old right-back currently developing at Benfica. In recent weeks, the Portuguese prospect has been strongly linked with a possible move to Camp Nou. The interest comes at a time when the club is evaluating whether it is the right moment to invest in a long-term option for the full-back position.

Hansi Flick's side were 4-0 down at half-time after a frankly awful first-half display but thought they'd found a way back into the match when Pau Cubarsi pulled one back in the second half. The goal was originally given but then checked by VAR. The check went on and on and on and after eight minutes the officials finally managed to find a reason to disallow the goal.

Negotiations for young talents are rarely simple, especially when players already have clear sporting ambitions. Many of them prefer immediate first-team opportunities rather than spending time in reserve sides. That appears to have been a decisive factor in Nijstad's case. The 18-year-old has already taken important steps at a senior level. He has featured in 12 first-team matches for Twente, starting several of them, which has helped him gain valuable experience in professional football at a very young age.

La Masia talent Andres Cuenca left Barcelona for Sporting Gijon in the recent winter transfer window on loan to garner minutes under his belt and further hone his skills for six months. The 18-year-old defender is highly rated by the club's administration and they thus ensured that he renewed his deal until 2027 before leaving so as to maintain control over his future.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have already applied for membership in EFC, a process that was triggered automatically after the club decided to break away from the Super League project. The EFC, which is de facto represented by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, would give Barcelona special immunity and favour from UEFA. This is something former president Joan Laporta has been keen on, as the club, despite initially supporting the Super League project, have formally recognised the efforts made by UEFA to improve the Champions League.

Barcelona are looking ahead to the summer transfer window and particularly how to strengthen Hansi Flick's squad for the 2026-27 campaign. The decision has apparently already been made to bring in a new center-forward, with the position considered to be an "absolute priority". Julian Alvarez's name keeps on being mentioned, but there's still plenty of doubt over whether Barcelona can afford to land the Atletico star this summer.