Barcelona denies rumors of Deco's departure

Barcelona have hit back at Spanish media reports that sporting director Deco is considering leaving the club after a disappointing summer transfer window.

Sporting director Deco had a disappointing summer transfer window with Barcelona.

Barca signed Dani Olmo and Pau Victor this summer, but failed in their attempts to sign a left winger, a holding midfielder and a defender as they continue to struggle financially. Barca reportedly missed out on a number of targets, including Federico Chiesa, who eventually moved to Liverpool, and also missed out on Liverpool's Stefan Bajcetic as a replacement for Marc Bernal, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. Joao Cancelo was another failed target, moving to Al Hilal, while Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah had been linked.

Spanish sports newspaper Diario Sport reported on Sunday that the issues had prompted Deco, who took over last year, to consider leaving the club. However, Barca said in a statement: “We completely deny the news that appeared in Diario Sport on September 1, which casts doubt on the continuation of our sporting director. In response to the article titled ‘Deco, disappointed, is thinking about the future’, the club wishes to state that we could not be happier with the work Deco is doing, and refute the article that appeared at the end of the transfer window.”

Earlier in August, SPORT reported that President Joan Laporta had taken over transfer negotiations from Deco due to frustration at the risk of missing out on top target Nico Williams. However, the Euro 2024 star eventually stayed at Athletic Bilbao after the summer transfer window just ended.

Deco, a former Portugal international and long-time Barca player, left his job as a player agent last year to become Barca's sporting director. The 47-year-old midfielder initially worked alongside Mateu Alemany, and then went into the job himself when Alemany left the club last September. However, Deco has found his efforts hampered by the club's troubled finances.

Barca president Joan Laporta is expected to speak at a press conference on Tuesday to discuss the club's transfer activity.

THANH TUAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/barcelona-phu-nhan-tin-don-chia-tay-deco-post756978.html