WASIT.ID – Despite being touted as a new Barcelona player, Nico Williams is backing the Real Madrid wing-back to win the Ballon d’Or 2024.
After Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024, predicting the winner of Ballon d’Or 2024 has become increasingly difficult. Before these two international tournaments, two Real Madrid players, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, were favored to win the Golden Ball this year due to their significant contributions in helping Real Madrid win the Spanish League and Champions League in the 2023-2024 season.
Vinicius and Bellingham had nearly identical statistics last season. Vinicius played in 39 matches across various competitions, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists. Meanwhile, Bellingham scored 23 goals and made 13 assists in 42 appearances.
With their almost balanced performances at the club level, many believe that the winner will be determined during this year’s mid-year international tournaments. However, both Vinicius and Bellingham failed to shine at their best, with Vinicius only taking Brazil to the quarter-finals of Copa America 2024 and Bellingham finishing as runner-up in Euro 2024 with England.
This situation has elevated Rodri as a strong candidate for the Ballon d’Or. Despite not winning the Champions League, Rodri played a crucial role with Manchester City and Spain, helping Man City win the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup
However, Nico Williams has a different view. The Barcelona-targeted winger supports his Spanish national team teammate, Dani Carvajal, to win the Ballon d’Or 2024. According to Williams, the 32-year-old wing-back has made significant contributions to the success of Real Madrid and Spain and deserves to clinch the Ballon d’Or trophy.
“I think Dani Carvajal,” Williams replied when asked who the strongest candidate for the Ballon d’Or 2024 is, quoted by Wasit.id from Sportskeeda.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta’s Ambitious Plans Amid Financial Struggles
WASIT.ID – Barcelona President Joan Laporta has been dubbed ambitious after reportedly aiming to complete the signings of Nico Williams and Dani Olmo, along with one more player from the Euro 2024-winning team, amidst financial turmoil.
Barcelona has identified Nico Williams as a priority target in the 2024 summer transfer window. Laporta expressed his confidence on July 8 while the player was on duty with the Spanish national team at Euro 2024.
“We are capable of making this level of signing to strengthen the team,” he told Catalunya Radio. “I really like Nico. Deco (sports director) is working on the signings and Flick (coach) has been involved.
On Sunday (21/7/2024), Laporta reinforced fans’ hopes regarding the transfer of the Athletic Bilbao winger.
When questioned by fans about signing Nico Williams, Laporta confidently replied from inside his car, “We will make an attempt,” as quoted by Ok Diario.
In addition to Nico, Laporta is also eyeing Dani Olmo, one of the top scorers of Euro 2024 and a pillar of Spain’s success. Bringing Olmo back to Barca is a key agenda for Laporta’s campaign this season. Deco has already met with the agent of RB Leipzig’s attacking player.
Although the deadline for Olmo’s release clause redemption has passed on Saturday (20/7/2024), Leipzig is still expected to not accept less than 60 million euros. Meanwhile, Merino is valued at 65 million euros by Real Sociedad, but the Basque club is believed to be willing to lower the price, as long as it is not less than 40 million euros.
The situation becomes more complicated because, to sign Nico, Olmo, and Merino, Laporta and his team need around 158 million euros or 2.79 trillion Indonesian rupiahs. Barcelona must make significant player sales from the current squad to meet these needs.
Names like Raphinha, Vitor Roque, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong, and Ferran Torres have been mentioned as potential casualties of Laporta’s sales maneuvers, which could bring in substantial revenue to acquire their three desired targets.
Laporta is reportedly planning to seek a loan of around 100 million euros from new investors. However, this funding can only cover the deficit they left behind throughout the 2023-2024 season. To sign Nico, Olmo, and Merino, Barcelona must sell players worth 158 million euros.
Laporta stated, “We’ve received offers for De Jong, Fermin, Balde, Gavi, Pedri, and Araujo, but we’re not keen on selling them.” Selling these players could potentially earn us nearly 1 billion euros.” This funding would bolster the club’s financial standing but could potentially impact our sports project,” he remaked.
The clash between dreams, principles, and the need to save the club is the challenge for Laporta in this summer transfer window.
Dreaming of Two Spanish Heroes, Barcelona Must Take Special Measures for One Target
WASIT.ID – Barcelona must take special measures for one of the two Spanish national team heroes they dream of signing in the 2024 summer transfer window. The plan is devised based on the team’s needs and the abilities of the targeted players.
However, financial conditions have disrupted the carefully laid plans. Barcelona’s current funds are only enough to sign one coveted player. La Blaugrana has allocated these funds for Nico Williams’ transfer. Negotiations have already begun with the player’s agent.
The arrival of Nico Williams alone is not enough to strengthen the team. Therefore, Barcelona is targeting Dani Olmo as the next objective. Olmo had an impressive performance during Euro 2024, scoring three goals for the Spanish national team.
However, bringing Olmo in requires sacrifices from Barcelona. They must sell players to be able to sign Olmo. Negotiations with several players in the current squad also affect this transfer.
RB Leipzig has shown openness to the possibility of Dani Olmo leaving. Barcelona must manage their finances more wisely to make this transfer happen. Raphinha could be sacrificed to fulfill the club’s latest desires.
