Over the past two years, Barcelona have signed three players who have cost them in excess of €100m.
Ousmane Dembélé was the first to arrive from Borussia Dortmund for €125m, followed by Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in January 2018, who cost them €145m. The 27-year-old failed to convince at the Camp Nou and was allowed to join Bayern Munich on loan in the summer.
Antoine Griezmann was the last to arrive and the Spanish champions paid €120m to Atlético Madrid to acquire his services.
Mundo Deportivo points out the Catalan club have collectively spent €390m (excluding variables) on these three players.
Dembélé was wanted by Barca in 2016, but they got him 12 months later and had to pay a lucrative amount to secure his signature. Coutinho was also wanted by Barcelona in the summer of 2017, but they had to wait for six more months before signing him.
Griezmann was close to joining in 2018, but he signed an extension that summer and moved to the Camp Nou a year later.
All three signings were done after Ernesto Valevrde gave his approval and the manager had enough time to fit them into the team, to play alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. However, he has not been successful so far.
This ‘matter worries a lot’ those at Barcelona, specifically the directors of the club.
Mundo states this is not just a reaction to their latest defeat to Levante as the ‘problem is having lost the faith’.
