The transfer market that ended on August 31 will go down in history as the period in which Spanish football said goodbye to the Argentine Lionel Messi.
Messi’s departure is, without a doubt, the big move in this transfer market. The Argentine striker, perhaps the best player to wear the Barça shirt in the 121-year history of the Barcelona, He had to leave a club he could not retain – due to “economic and structural” problems that made it unfeasible to pay his salary even lowering his emoluments by half, they acknowledged Joan Laporta and the same Messi.
“This year I was convinced I was going to stay here, at home,” pointing out the Argentine star on August 8 in his farewell, marking the difference with the previous season, when he announced his intention to leave with a burofax but eventually stayed. The next day he landed in Paris to sign a contract with the PSG, And on Sunday 29 he made his debut against Reims, replacing his friend Neymar Junior in the 66th minute.
Before the painful departure of the ’10’, the Barcelona he had agreed to the arrivals of the Argentine striker Sergio Agüero -registered after the pay cuts of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba- and the central Eric Garcia, Both arrived from Manchester City with the letter of release; and Dutch striker Memphis Depay, also free and from French side Olympique Lyon.
Illaix Moriba (Leipzig), Junior Firpo (Leeds), the Frenchman Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice) and Carles Aleñá (Getafe) left Can Barça, and the club is looking for destinations for several players before the market closes.
In the struggle of the greats of Spanish football with the PSG, el Real Madrid aspires to the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, Who last Sunday scored two goals in the Reims in the debut of Messi and is currently concentrated with the French team. According to the French newspaper The team, The white set came to offer 200 million euros for him.
The whole of the Parisian capital was not only taken to captain and the highest standard of the Barcelona. He also did the same with that of the Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos, who ended his 16-season stint at the white club on June 30, after failing to reach an agreement to renew for the duration of the next contract, as the club offered a year and Branches intended to sign two.
The Sevillian defender gave his version of the disagreement on June 17. “In the last conversations I accept the offer with the drop in salary and I am told that there is no longer an offer … I don’t know why the offer expired”, He explained then. On July 8 he agreed to sign for the PSG for the next two seasons. He has not made his debut due to injury.
They also took the exit door of the Real Madrid the French center Raphael Varane, heading to the English Manchester United for 40 million, and the Norwegian Martin Odegaard he stayed at Arsenal in exchange for 35.
The arrival of the Welsh midfielder Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes), joins the hiring of the Austrian center David Alaba (Bayern Munich), in addition to the returns after the transfer of Gareth Bale (Tottenham), Dani Ceballos (Arsenal) or Luka Jovic (Eintracht Frankfurt).
ATHLETIC AND SEVILLE INVEST TO SUPPORT
The reigning champion of LaLiga, el Athletic of Madrid, Was one of the few teams that invested to incorporate: about 65 million between Argentine midfielder Rodrigo de Paul (Udinese) and Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin). Also arriving was French goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, on loan from Monaco, and Brazilian Marcos Paulo (Fluminense), free, sent on loan to the Portuguese Famalicao.
Active as every summer in the summer market, the Seville reinforced every line, with the Serbian goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic (Eibar); defenses such as Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate) and Sweden’s Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen); midfielders such as the Danish Thomas Delaney (Borussia Dortmund) and the Argentine Erik Lamela (Tottenham), and the batter Rafa Mir (Wolverhampton). All for less than 40 million. From Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán came Bryan Gil to Tottenham, for 25 million and with the arrival of Lamela as part of the payment.
The rest of the teams opted for selected spare parts and signings at zero cost: the Betis was taken to the Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Silva (free from Granada) and Willian José (on loan from Real Sociedad), Hector Bellerín (Arsenal) and in turn gave on to Loren Morón at Espanyol; while the Colombians Carlos Bacca (Villarreal, free) and Santiago Arias (on loan from Atlético) and the Portuguese goalkeeper Luis Maximià (Sporting Portugal) arrived in Granada.
After brilliantly ensuring its continuity in the highest category of Spanish football, Cadiz signed the Paraguayan Santiago Arzamendia (Turó Porteño), to the Chilean Tomás Alarcón (O’Higgins) and remained in property to the Argentine doorman Jeremies “Conan” Ledesma (Central Rosary), whereas it obtained the return of the hispanorumano forward Florin Andone in Laliga, on loan from English Brighton.
José Bordalás’ Valencia will not have many new players: the Brazilian striker Marc André (Valladolid), French winger Dimitri Foulquier (Granada) and Paraguayan center-back Omar Alderete (on loan from German side Hertha Berlin) are the highlights of a team that has lost Kevin Gameiro (Strasbourg) and Kang-in Lee (Mallorca).
For its part, the Getafe obtained in this market one of its sales of its history, the one of Marc Cucurella in English Brighton by 18 million Euros. It had been strengthened before with the Mexican José Juan Macías, with the Czech interior Jakub Jankto (Sampdoria), Víctor Machín ‘Vitolo’ (loaned by Atlético), Carlos Aleñá (Barcelona) or Sandro Ramírez (Huesca).
With the aim of settling after the permanence, Elche has added reinforcements of category with the loans goalkeeper Kiko Casilla (Leeds) and Argentine striker Darío Benedetto (Marseille); in addition to the arrival of Lucas Pérez (Alabès), Omar Mascarell (Schalke 04) and the Colombian Johan Mojica (Granada).
the Mallorca returns to First with the return of the Japanese Take Cuba, Again ceded by Real Madrid, To which is added that of the Valencian planter Kang-In Lee (free) and Villarreal Fer Nen (on loan). Àngel Rodríguez (Getafe) and Jaume Costa (Villarreal) will put the experience behind after arriving free, while the Croatian Davant budimir will stay at Osasuna, transferred for 8 million.
For the other two ascents, the movements have been limited or zero cost: the Espanyol have signed Belgian striker Landry Dimata (Anderlecht), Sergi Gómez and Aleix Vidal (Sevilla); and Rayo Vallecano to Randy Nteka and Pathé Ciss (Fuenlabrada) or the transfers of Martín Merquelanz and Kévin Rodrígues (Real Sociedad), after the departure of the Peruvian international Luis Advíncula (Boca Juniors).