Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.
Never a dull moment at Barcelona. The Catalan side were not planning on getting rid of Ilkay Gundogan this summer, but with their attempts to sell Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, Frenkie de Jong and Raphinha all hitting a dead end, something had to give.
Gundogan will head back to Manchester City, and Barcelona fans might be questioning what he is being sacrificed for. Dani Olmo is well-regarded, but they have plenty of options at number 10. Elsewhere they have been linked with Federico Chiesa at Juventus and Marc Pubill at Almeria as a right-back addition.
The question some are asking is are Barcelona getting better? January signing Vitor Roque is also headed to Real Betis on loan, and he cost them €30m – more than enough to cover Gundogan’s wages. More players could be pushed out, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United linked with one of their defenders.
Atletico Madrid presented Conor Gallagher, Julian Alvarez, Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth to a raucous Metropolitano, and their summer spending of €183.5m is currently about triple what Barcelona have spent.
"Hello. I don't speak much Spanish. I'm very happy. Come on Atleti!"
A table for four for Conor Gallagher and #AtleticoMadrid's new signings, Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez. pic.twitter.com/ndREz3Yta2
— Football España (@footballespana_) August 22, 2024
Liverpool are on the verge of signing Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia in a €35m deal, although he will remain at Mestalla for at least another season. To the north, Arsenal look as if they will finally complete a deal for Mikel Merino this week. They continue to work on Aaron Ramsdale’s exit though, and will spend €30m on his replacement from Espanyol if it does happen.
Despite their off-field troubles, Barcelona are top of the table alongside Celta Vigo and Rayo Vallecano, after they beat Valencia. Atletico Madrid drew 2-2 with Villarreal, and Real Madrid could not outgun RCD Mallorca in Kylian Mbappe’s debut, finishing 1-1, but realistically they could have lost.
Carlo Ancelotti raged that his team lacked balance, commitment and attitude, which many weren’t surprised about after starting Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes. If someone were to drop, most hedge their bets on Rodrygo. He got the goal against Mallorca, and a brilliant one. Let out of the headlines for the ‘BMV’ last week, Rodrygo made his irritation very clear in a Whatsapp message. The rumblings of a potential exit next summer continue to grow.
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