Barca SD, transfer guru Alemany leaving club

Barca SD, transfer guru Alemany leaving club

Barcelona announced on Tuesday that director of football Mateu Alemany will leave the club at the end of the season to embark on a new professional project.

Sources have told ESPN the offer he has received from elsewhere “is too good to turn down,” with various reports suggesting it comes from Premier League side Aston Villa.

Barca say they will “announce changes in the football executive structure” in due course, with sources adding that sporting director Jordi Cruyff’s long term future is also uncertain.

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Jesus Angoy and Antonio Cordon are among those being considered as possible replacements, but nothing has been decided at this stage.

Barca confirmed the news just minutes after securing a 1-0 win over 10-man Osasuna which moved them to within five points of the title with five games to go.

Alemany, 60, joined the club in 2021 when Joan Laporta was elected president and oversaw a frantic transfer window last summer, when Barca sold club assets to fund the singings of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, among others.

Working alongside Cruyff, the transfer guru has received plaudits for putting together a squad which has Barca on the brink of a first LaLiga title since 2019.

Barca say he will leave the club on June 30, making clear it is his decision, with various reports already claiming he will join Spanish coach Unai Emery at Villa.

However, as his contract with Barca was supposed to run until 2024, the Blaugrana say Alemany is committed to completing the upcoming transfer window if necessary.

“Alemany will end his time at the club on June 30 to begin a new professional project,” Barca said in a statement on Tuesday.