Bartomeu hints at January Barcelona signings

Barcelona may need to enter the transfer market to add a “finishing touch” to their squad if they are to continue challenging on all fronts, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has conceded.

Ernesto Valverde’s team have been excellent this season, responding well to the blow of losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in August.

The Catalan giants are four points ahead of Valencia at the top of LaLiga after 12 matches and already 10 clear of Real Madrid, while they are also still in the Copa del Rey and on track to win Champions League Group D.

Nevertheless, Bartomeu suspects the club will have to spend money to ensure the squad is fully equipped for a three-pronged trophy charge in the second half of the campaign.

“There are people more qualified than me, like [general manager] Pep Segura and [chief executive] Oscar Grau,” Bartomeu told reporters.

“We’re satisfied with the squad but if there is an opportunity to improve in January, Barca always have to try.

“The ambition is there. We want to win everything; La Liga, the Copa del Rey, but to win the Champions League, maybe [the team] needs a finishing touch.”