Barça ready to splash the cash on centre-back

Posted Thursday, June 13, 2013 by Marca.com

The €57 million fee to bring Neymar to Barcelona will not prevent the Catalan club from delivering the other signings Tito Vilanova has asked for. The club is prepared to back its coach to the hilt and is going to do everything in its power to strengthen the squad. This issue was discussed at the meeting of the club's board on Monday, before being hammered home by spokesman Toni Freixa yesterday.

"I can't tell you how much we've earmarked for signings, because that could hinder the club, as anyone we approached would know how much we had to spend. But we'll do all the business we want to and Barcelona will bring in some first-class reinforcements this summer", Freixa stated.

The club spokesman cited confidentiality agreements as he batted away questions about Neymar's signature and how the money will be split, while making it clear that the club has no intention of bringing forward the presidential elections, despite the recent reports to the contrary.

Freixa refused to dwell much on sporting issues, although he did categorically refute suggestions of a bid to try to sign Raphaël Varane from Real Madrid. He also claimed that the decision not to renew the contract of Emili Ricart, the physio who has handled the recoveries of players such as Andrés Iniesta, David Villa and Éric Abidal, stemmed from a "recommendation made from both the football and medical departments".