Barcelona manager Xavi admits he is unsure how the club's financial problems will affect his summer transfer spending plans.
The Catalan giants take on Celta Vigo at Camp Nou on Tuesday with the team sitting second in the table, 12 points behind champions Real Madrid and four ahead of Sevilla, with three La Liga games left.
It has been a tough campaign for Xavi, who took over from the sacked Ronald Koeman in November with the club sitting ninth in the table.
They were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage and dropped down to the Europa League for the first time since 2014. And any hopes of a consolation trophy in European football's second-tier competition were ended by German side Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.
On the domestic front, arch rivals Real have dominated from the start in La Liga, while Barca were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao at the last-16 stage.
The club did make some moves in the transfer market with the likes of Dani Alves, Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all arriving during the transfer window.
That gave Barca enough of a boost that they are now in pole position to secure second spot in the league and enjoyed a 4-0 Clasico thrashing of Real in March.
But Xavi, whose team will play their home games at the city's Olympic Stadium while the iconic Camp Nou is renovated in the 2023-24 season, has had to deal with huge financial restraints with the club claiming they have had to cut €159 million ($179m) from their wage bill due to the previous board's reckless spending.
Barca player ratings in 2-1 win at Real Betis
And how this will impact any potential new signings before the start of next season is unclear. “I think it is important that we bring reinforcements to the team, and everyone who will join us is welcome. But we have to look at the difficulty of it because of the economic situation,” said Xavi, whose team won 2-1 at Real Betis on Saturday thanks to a last-gasp goal by Jordi Alba.
“I will be part of the team that is planning for next season. I have a good relationship with the president and administration. We will see what we can do in the summer to strengthen the team and be more competitive.”
One of Europe's hottest properties, Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, looks set to join former Barca player and manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City - the type of player the Catalans would previously have been one of the favourites to sign.
“It’s not officially done. So I have no comment. When it’s official, you can ask me again,” Xavi said of the Norwegian's potential new home. “It is difficult for Haaland to join Barcelona because of the economic situation.”
One player whose future is still up in the air and could also have huge impact on next season's plans is Barca striker Ousmane Dembele, whose contract ends this summer and is in danger of leaving on a free transfer.
Fans have expressed their frustration at the attacker, bought from Dortmund in 2017 in a deal worth €140m, for refusing to sign a new contract but Xavi insists he “has no doubts with him” and hopes a deal can still be agreed.
“Once again I’m saying that all players have to adapt to the economic situation of the club,” said Xavi. “Dembele helps the team a lot, although he was unlucky not to score recently.
“He plays at the highest level. Negotiations are going on with his agent, things are not easy, but we will see. I hope he stays.”
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammed Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Saeed Ahmed, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Muhammed Jumah, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
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16 years, 68 days old
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
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SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Our family matters legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
RESULTS
Women:
55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2
Men:
62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke
The five pillars of Islam
