Before going for Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, FC Barcelona need to speed up the departures of its discarded players

This transfer window has been brilliant for FC Barcelona. Despite the uncertainty that clouded the club just weeks ago, now even with a whole month left in the transfer window almost all of Xavi's requests have been fulfilled. Kessié, Christensen, Raphinha, Lewandowski and Koundé are all world-class players and bring quality to the squad. But there remains much to be done.

Especially so when it comes to the matter of departures, as Joan Laporta made clear when asked if the club plans to continue signing. "First we have to proceed with the registration of the players we have signed. Then we'll see what we can do if the coach asks for more reinforcements. That's all there is to it," he said.

EFFORTS ARE FOCUSED ON SALES

The management is far from abandoning negotiations with Chelsea for Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso but is focusing most of their efforts on reducing the squad's size. Xavi made it clear months ago which of the players he was not counting on, but their way out has not been smooth or easy. It is taken for granted that in some cases, such as Braithwaite's, they will end up releasing him and waiving a transfer fee, while others will not even settle for that.

True, Bernardo Silva is the icing on the cake and the club knows that the player is in favour of signing for Barça. But it will be a very expensive deal, and he remains a key player for Pep Guardiola.