FC Barcelona, which had been seeking to recruit Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), set out to find young players.
Tribuna reported on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time), “FC Barcelona has canceled its plan to recruit Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah,” adding, “We are making plans to recruit younger players than veteran players.”
Son Heung-min’s contract with Tottenham ended this season, but his contract was sluggish, leading to rumors of a transfer with several teams.
So far, various leagues and clubs have wanted to recruit Son. It has been reported that Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad have also sought to recruit Son.
In October, Spain’s El Nacional said, “Barcelona has forgotten about large-scale investments due to economic problems over the years and is hiring players from youth to bring in players whose contracts have ended. Chairman Juan Laporta, Deku and Coach Hanji Flick are all keeping an eye on players who will become free agents in June next year. Tottenham’s Son Heung-min has become the target. Son will be able to break up with Tottenham after 10 years.”
“He is tired of the fact that he cannot win a trophy. He even failed to play in the UEFA Champions League for several seasons. He wants to use his free-agent status to become a team that guarantees a championship,” El Nacional said last month.
At the same time, he explained, “Deku sought to recruit Son Heung-min, but Flick refused. He did not question Son’s physical ability or skills. Just 32 years old has been a stumbling block, and Flick wants to find a new alternative.”
Son Heung-min recently talked about renewing his contract with Tottenham.
Son Heung-min said at a press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) game in September that he had not received a renewal offer from the club.
On the same day, Tottenham’s leading media simultaneously reported that Tottenham would issue a one-year extension with Son Heung-min.
Of course, Son Heung-min is very willing to stay at Tottenham for now.
Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Flettenberg said, “It is more likely that Son will stay at Tottenham for another year. Tottenham is expected to invoke a clause that allows Son to extend his contract until 2026. It has almost been decided. World-class winger Son Heung-min also wants to stay at Tottenham.”
Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the European transfer market, said Son’s name was mentioned every time a big club interested in wingers appeared in the transfer market. But so far, (Son) has never contacted other clubs.
Son Heung-min, who moved to Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in 2015, has established himself as a symbol of the team. He has been loved by Tottenham fans for his dedicated performances every season, and he has chosen to stay without wavering even with his teammates choosing to transfer.
In particular, after 토토사이트 꽁머니 Harry Kane left, he led the team as captain and played a central role for Tottenham. He was praised as the team’s living legend while taking over the captain’s armband. However, Tottenham’s disgrace in the process of renewing their contracts is ruining each other’s trust.
Tottenham renewed their contract with Son Heung-min in 2021, including an option for the club to unilaterally extend it by one year. This is an option for the club to manage the contract situation advantageously. However, critics say that sufficient compensation for Son’s commitment has not been made in the process.
“Tottenham has the right to extend the contract with Son by one year. The club plans to use this option and accompany Son until at least 2026,” the Telegraph newspaper said. “However, invoking a short-term option other than a long-term contract could disappoint Son.”
“He became a legend in the Premier League and the best striker on Earth,” El Nacional said. “He is the best Asian player in history, surpassing Park Ji-sung and Shinji Kagawa. However, he has yet to win any trophies at Tottenham. This is why he can choose a new adventure. If he comes to Barcelona, he can lift the trophy. He can be an important player under Flick. He can test himself in La Liga where other Korean stars including Lee Kang-in, Park Chu-young and Lee Chun-soo played.”
It seemed unlikely. Barcelona has recently shown hesitancy to recruit players who are older than Robert Lewandowski. This was due to financial difficulties. They preferred their own players from Youth La Masia instead of recruiting from outside. They include Lamine Yamal, Pablo Garvey, Marc Casado, Pau Kubarsi, and Alejandro Valdez.
“Barcelona cites age as its main reason. Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min have been excluded from the transfer list,” Tribuna said. “According to sources close to the club, Barcelona’s sports director Deku is focusing on finding players who can provide the club with a long-term future.”
“Both Salah and Son Heung-min, born in 1992, are recognized as world-class players who can significantly strengthen Barcelona’s offensive capabilities. However, Deku’s strategy in the transfer market is to build a team for the future targeting young players who can contribute over several seasons rather than a short-term solution,” he said. “Barcelona is focusing on youth because the club prioritized the recruitment and development of emerging talents. This is in line with the recent transfer policy.”
Salah, who was rumored to transfer to Barcelona along with Son Heung-min, is also receiving attention from other clubs recently.
“PSG is showing great interest in recruiting Salah,” L’Equipe said on Sunday. PSG is negotiating with Liverpool to recruit Salah. PSG coach Luis Enrique said, “Salah is highly interested in Salah. The player who is absolutely necessary for the current squad is Salah.”