Liverpool should eye three transfer chances as Barcelona runs into major $140m problem

All around Europe, things have been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far this summer. Kylian Mbappe has moved to Real Madrid, of course, but while it has only just been confirmed, that comes years after everyone knew it was happening.

Bayern Munich has made another move for Joao Palhinha, The Athletic has reported, but few big names have been seriously linked with swaps yet. Partly, that will be down to the upcoming European Championship and Copa America; partly, it will be thanks to the lack of money that many teams have — or at least the lack of FFP/PSR wriggle room.

Sometimes, it takes one big transfer to pave the way for several others to happen, as money is freed up somewhere in the chain which can then filter down. As yet, though, no domino has fallen.

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That will change at some point but nowhere are the restraints more obvious than at Barcelona. Over the past few years, the Catalan side has been paying for its recklessness — attempting to sell off the future to pay for the present and cover over the past.

Now, The Athletic reports that Barcelona cannot afford to register as many as nine players ahead of the summer because it is so close to the salary cap in La Liga. It supposedly also needs to find another $140m (£110m/€129m) before the end of June.

Among the contingent currently unable to be registered are former Chelsea star Marcos Alonso, Spain international Inigo Martinez and Brazilian starlet Vitor Roque, and returning loanees like Clement Lenglet and Ansu Fati will only add to the issue. It is hardly the ideal scenario for new head coach Hansi Flick to arrive into.

"To the new manager, I tell you: 'You will suffer'," Xavi said before the end of the season. "This is a difficult job and you have to be patient." And it seems that couldn't be more true.

For clubs around Europe including Liverpool, though, there should be an opportunity. Barcelona once again needs money and while it has been mismanaged for a long time, there are players there who would be worth taking a look at for the right price.

Fati didn't work out at Brighton and he is on big wages at the Camp Nou side — around $250k (c. £200k/€225k) per week — so perhaps he is off the table. But there is a talent there for someone to unlock and he is still only 21.

Central midfield duo Pedri and Gavi are huge talents too, though there is not a huge need for Liverpool to add another number eight to its roster. Neither player is likely to want to leave Barcelona (as is the case with Frenkie de Jong) but the club cannot rule out sacrificing anyone.

Vitor Roque is a Brazilian forward who was only signed from Brazilian outfit Athletico Paranaense in January for a fee that could reach as much as $66m (£52m/€61m) including add-ons. He is still only 19 but could be sold in order to make it possible to keep Robert Lewandowski.

Pau Cubarsi, a center-back, is another one drawing interest. Manchester City, according to SPORT (print edition via Sport Witness), has taken a close look at the 17-year-old and would be willing to bring him in this summer, but he only just signed a new contract.

If Barcelona needs money, it will need to cash in on some stars. It also makes it even less likely that a move for Luis Diaz might happen — despite persistent links, the chances of it reaching a fee that Liverpool would consider appear to be slim.

For the Reds, though, rather than thinking about selling Diaz to Barcelona, there should be a glance across to see if any relative bargains can be snapped up from the Camp Nou outfit as a result of the latest required cutbacks.