Barcelona had a busy summer transfer window despite their financial issues, as they brought in five first-team players, and they could have even added to their ranks further.
There was a lot of movement at the executive level at Barcelona, as Mateu Alemany announced he would be joining Aston Villa, did a U-turn and stayed, before then eventually departing at the end of the window.
The former sporting director, who has since been replaced by Deco, reportedly tried to hijack a transfer made by another La Liga club but was unsuccessful in his pursuit.
Alemany tried to hijack Sergi Altimira deal
Real Betis pulled off an impressive deal as they signed defensive midfielder Sergi Altimira from Getafe, despite the 22-year-old officially joining the Madrid side just a month earlier.
Altimira attracted heavy interest from Barcelona a year ago during his days at third-tier side Sabadell, but they could not complete a deal then.
Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that Barcelona unsuccessfully attempted to hijack Betis’ move for the Spaniard, but the Verdiblancos managed to secure his signature after activating his release clause.
“Understand Barcelona tried to hijack Sergi Altimira’s move to Betis in August,” Romano tweeted.
“Barça director Alemany wanted to try and sign Altimira by triggering the clause to bring him back to the club… but clear choice to join Betis was already made & deal already advanced.”
An alternative option for Xavi?
Altimira initially came through the La Masia academy before leaving in 2019, and the club were seemingly keen on bringing him back.
Xavi was keen on signing a defensive midfielder this summer, and landed Oriol Romeu from Girona, but is reportedly having doubts about his place in the team.
Altimira has made three La Liga appearances for Real Betis this season, and perhaps he may have been viewed as someone who could provide extra depth at the base of midfield.
It remains to be seen whether Xavi would have been on board with the signing despite Alemany’s desire. Nico Gonzalez was sold to Porto, with the manager wanting more experienced options to help replace Sergio Busquets, and Altimira has less top-flight experience than the La Masia graduate.