Barcelona technical director Hansi Flick spoke about the transfer rumours dominating the Catalan club's agenda this week. "We might still be missing something; we'll see this week. The most important thing is the way we train. We have to work hard to maintain the level of previous seasons," Flick said.
Barcelona is maintaining active negotiations for three players. The team is prioritising Spanish midfielder Rodri, although Manchester City has rejected all offers presented so far. The second target is Argentine forward Julián Álvarez, who has not yet completed his departure from Atlético Madrid. Colombian Luis Suárez appears as an alternative for the forward position, although the club does not plan to pay the 80 million euros that Sporting CP is requesting.
The German coach expressed concern about the pace of play shown in training. "We haven't played as fast as we wanted, we need to improve and we have potential, but I'm happy about the test," he said. Flick also acknowledged the difficulties of preparing the team with players returning just five days ago from their holidays.
Barcelona makes its La Liga debut next week away to Elche. Before that, the team faces Al-Ahly in the Joan Gamper trophy. Flick stressed that the focus is on improving the intensity and quality of training. "I'm happy to be back playing in front of the fans at Camp Nou. We have to work hard to return to the level of last season," he added.
