Barcelona Strengthens Its Squad with Strong Signings

Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, stated that the first team needs to be strengthened with new signings in the upcoming January transfer window. He assured fans that the club is "working" towards achieving this goal. Barcelona is facing tough circumstances this season, currently sitting in seventh place in La Liga after 15 rounds of the competition, trailing by 16 points behind rival Real Madrid, who leads the league table, although Barcelona has a game in hand. Additionally, Barcelona was eliminated from the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, finishing third in their group just one point behind Portuguese club Benfica, and they will compete in a playoff round for qualification to the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League. Financial issues had prevented Barcelona from offering a contract renewal to Argentine star Lionel Messi, 34, leading him to leave the club on a free transfer to join French club Paris Saint-Germain in the last summer transfer window. Barcelona attempted to compensate for Messi's departure with attacking signings Memphis Depay and Sergio Agüero, who joined the team on free transfers, but Agüero only played five matches before being sidelined indefinitely due to a heart issue. Laporta acknowledges the need for Barcelona to bring in new faces to return to competing for titles, but he pointed out that the high wage budget poses a significant obstacle. Laporta said late last night: "We all agree that the team must be reinforced. The problem is that we inherited contracts that do not give us space to maneuver due to wages." He added, "However, we are looking for a way to develop the first team during the winter transfer window. We are working on achieving that." Barcelona's next league match is against Osasuna on Sunday, and they aim to reduce the six-point gap that separates them from the closest Champions League qualifying positions.