Following the shock, world-record transfer €222m (£198m) of Neymar Jr from Barcelona to PSG earlier this summer Barcelona are left searching for a world-class striker in an attempt to replace the Brazilian superstar. Whether a player of such talent can ever be replaced is a question in itself. The closest the Blaugrana have come to finding a player of equal talent is in their pursuit of Liverpool’s Phillippe Coutinho. However, the Merseyside club have rejected all Barcelona’s bids for the player immediately, even their most recent, which total £118m with add-ons. Speculation is rife that out-of-favour Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele is set for a £120m transfer to the Spanish club, yet whether such a young player, who is currently indefinitely suspended from training at Dortmund, following accusations of a poor attitude, has the experience to lead Barcelona to continued success in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League is also debatable. The only player who has signed for the Catalan giants since Neymar Jr’s departure, Paulinho, arrived to such little fanfare that none of his replica shirts were sold in the club shop following his unveiling.
Even more clouds of doubt are rising over the Camp Nou, as it was recently revealed that their Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, had yet to put pen to paper on a new contract.

These are only the latest symptoms of decline at the Catalan club, who failed to reach the semi-finals of UEFA’s premier club competition last season, did not win the league and whose board are facing widespread calls for their resignation. Given the recent dominance of their arch-rivals Real Madrid, particularly at European level, it may take some time for Barcelona to rebuild to reach the levels of success to which they became accustomed only a few seasons ago.

The answer to these difficulties may not be found by buying extortionately valued young players from around Europe, but to invest the money from Neymar Jr’s transfer in their academy in order to train players who will be able to play in their style and may be more inclined to stay at Barcelona than a player purchased from another club. That was the method the club used to train players such as Messi to become the world-beaters they are today and can be used again to secure a long-term world-class replacement for Neymar Jr. Whether the club’s current board stay or go, buying players, who while very good, have no experience playing in Spain, are wildly overvalued, and are nowhere near as good as the player they sold to PSG, will not assist the Catalan club’s situation.