In an interview, the current technical secretary of Al-Ittihad explained that he also sparked interest from Bayern Munich in two of their top talents. Many names, including Robert Lewandowski, Marc-André ter Stegen, Ansu Fati and, most frequently, Raphinha, have been mooted for a move to Saudi Arabia. There was speculation that Barcelona could try to sell them, but Planes confirmed that Al-Ittihad were interested, but did not specify which names they were looking for.
Coveted Raphinha
“It is true that some of the players who appeared in the press, we contacted them to recruit them. We are looking for players with a name to make the championship attractive, but also young talents.”
A perfect example is Las Palmas playmaker Alberto Moleiro, who has been mooted for a move to the Middle East this summer. “ We negotiated with Moleiro from Las Palmas to bring him, because I already enjoyed my time at Barça,”
he also told Radio Barcelona.
Planes had success at Barcelona while in charge of recruitment, bringing Pedri and Ronald Araujo, two unknown youngsters from Las Palmas and Boston to Uruguay respectively. The latter is currently on the verge of leaving, but Planes believes Araujo is happy in the Catalan capital.
“I am convinced that Pedri and Ronald Araujo are happy to be at Barça, even though they are young players with potential and their names are certainly on the agenda of the big clubs. »
