Jules Kounde's 11th-hour omission from Barcelona's LaLiga squad list may not be solved anytime soon with the central defender forced to sit out Saturday's league opener against Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona are instead having to re-negotiate salaries with members of the playing squad in an effort to reduce the club's wage bill and sell or release players that don't fit into manager Xavi's plans. Talks were also opened with long-serving defender Gerard Pique as the club asked the serial La Liga and Champions League winner to take a pay cut. However, negotiations between Pique and Barcelona have now been suspended, according to Spanish news outlet Relevo. Surprisingly Barcelona are still looking to bring more players to the Camp Nou this summer as Xavi seeks to further bolster his squad of superstars.

Source: Daily Mail August 13, 2022 12:07 UTC