One week to go: the state of play at Camp Nou

The hour is ticking for La Liga clubs, with the summer transfer window set to shutter on Tuesday, 1 September at 23:59. After a busy summer, Barcelona — the spot’s already plenty to do in the days ahead.

The Catalans have already wrapped up several arrivals, including João Cancelo, Rodri, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Gordon and Jesse off in defence. Yet their business is not necessarily done. The club are still linked with a move for a striker and have reportedly not given up on the idea of landing Julián Álvarez from Atlético Madrid.

Expected departures before the deadline

The same, there are expected to be a few exits before next Tuesday’s deadline. The names of Alejandro Balde, along with Marc Casadó and Héctor Fort, are three players expected to be on the move in the coming days. Their futures will go a long way toward shaping the business at the season’s close.

For the Blaugrana, the equation is fairly simple: the defensive reinforcements may hinge on a couple of departures, while the striker saga remains the headline question hanging over the club until the slats. Whether th’ through the window with a new No. 9, a new centre-back, or with the current squad intact, the decision-makers at the Spotify Camp Nou have made clear they want to avoid rash moves.

They are “not willing to pay an extraordinary amount for a striker without guarantees,” as Diario Sport put it, and have decided they will only move if the right opportunity presents itself. The coming eight days will decide whether Barcelona’s patience is rewarded — or leaves them asking a lot of the players already in the squad.