It's already official and confirmed by all three parties. Fabrizio Romano also echoes the winter market bomb.
Guardiola's City comes to Barça's rescue
Without expecting it, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City comes to Laporta's Barça's rescue by providing an injection of 24 million euros.
This is the amount corresponding to the 40% that the blaugrana club retained when it sold 60% of Nico González's rights to Porto.
Manchester City is going from bad to worse, and Pep Guardiola has turned to a 100% La Masia product. Pep sees Nico as the solution to the problem caused by Rodri's injury, the current Ballon d'Or winner.
For that position, the pivot, there's no one better than someone who has grown up in La Masia with Barça's own playing system.
Guardiola tried before with Sergio Busquets
A few weeks ago he tried with Sergio Busquets, but he couldn't convince him. He's no longer up for challenges of this nature after two years living in the tranquility of North American soccer.
Meanwhile, Guardiola's Plan B was Nico González. The kid who appeared at Barça alongside Gavi but didn't have continuity in his play. He eventually ended up being loaned to Valencia and then transferred to Porto.
In the Portuguese league, he has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of its stars. City will pay 60 million to Porto, 24 of which (40%) will go to the blaugrana club's coffers.
Rashford has slipped away
Laporta is already late in his goal to sign Marcus Rashford in the winter market. Rashford committed yesterday to Aston Villa. But that fresh money could be used by the blaugrana club to bring in another player today, the day the winter market closes.
Barça can invest with the 1:1 rule, 1 million for every million that enters the club. The task now is to secure a player that Flick likes and fits the new economic parameters.