We have reportedly discarded Hezonja and will sign Punter.
Hezonja was the core piece of Barça's new project, as demonstrated by the years of contract (4+1) and the amount (about 3 million net annually) of the offer that both parties signed. However, his surprising statements last Wednesday after Real Madrid won the Endesa League, in which the Croatian praised the white club and showed his desire to continue in it ("I would like to give Real Madrid and our fans many more titles in the next few years. I hope it happens"), provoked monumental anger in Josep Cubells, the director responsible for the section, who decided to throw away the agreement reached. An anonymous Barça spokesperson explained to the EFE agency that “no type of agreement was closed” and that “nothing was ever signed” with the player but Mundo Deportivo can assure that such an agreement did exist, specifically an offer signed by Hezonja. and by a Barça representative, with the club's official seal.
With Hezonja out of the picture, Barça needed another media signing to cover up the mess and restore hope to the fans. The club reacted quickly and sealed an agreement with Kevin Punter, an outside scorer whom it had already wanted to sign a year ago. Then the American had left Barça jilted after having reached an agreement to end up renewing for Partizan, which now leaves him free to allocate his high salary to other signings. At the Belgrade club it was around 2.3 million euros net, at Barça it will reach 2 million net.
But Hezonja was a 'three' (who can also play as a 'four') and Punter is a 'two', so Barça has had to adjust its 'renewal plan' for this summer. It seemed logical that the main bet was a forward, since it is the team's weakest position, especially with the departure of Nikola Kalinic now. But with the bulk of the money allocated to Punter, Barça must now look for a much lower profile 'three'. The other position that must be reinforced is center, since James Nnaji intends to make the leap to the NBA and Barça also wants to guard Jan Vesely's back with a center with a different profile than Willy Hernangómez. Except for a last-minute injection from the club, a big expense is not expected on those two pieces.
It also remains to be seen if Punter's arrival causes movements in the outside line, which is currently somewhat overloaded. With the American joining Nico Laprovittola and Darío Brizuela, Barça has three guards, while in the point guard position Rokas Jokubaitis will be out but Satoransky will remain, an agreement has been closed with Juan Núñez and it remains to be seen what decision Ricky Rubio makes about Her future. If the one from El Masnou does not continue, it would not be surprising if Lapro returned, permanently or punctually, to the position of 'one' that he already occupied for many years.