Barcelona Rumors: Laporta Prioritizes Coutinho's Transfer, Swoops For 2-Time Champions League Winner

Barcelona president elect Joan Laporta has already set his priorities in his second spell with the Catalan club.

Laporta seems to be wasting no time as he immediately makes efforts to improve Barcelona. One of the key projects topping the president’s list of objectives is to furnish a deal with Bayern Munich star David Alaba, Spanish outlet AS reported.

According to the report, the new Barca president is well aware that an array of big-name clubs is already keeping tabs on Alaba.

To ensure that Barcelona will be the front-runners to sign the two-time UEFA Champions League winner, Laporta reached out to Alaba’s representatives Pini Zahavi and Fali Ramadani last week.

The report added that the main agenda is to secure Alaba’s move to Camp Nou and be ahead of the defender’s long list of rumored suitors such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, and recently Paris Saint-Germain.

Laporta's strategy in pursuing Alaba is said to be based on “enticing” offers which include “a sound sporting project and the lifestyle he could enjoy in Barcelona.”

Apart from Alaba’s transfer, Laporta is also keen on offloading players in the current Barca squad.

Per the Spanish publication, Barcelona is already figuring out ways to bring in “new recruits.” To start off, the La Liga side is working on the departure of Barcelona’s most expensive signing of all time Philippe Coutinho.

As expected, Laporta once again addressed Lionel Messi’s situation in his inaugural speech.

According to the 58-year-old, Messi’s support in his presidency is “proof” that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner is sticking to Barcelona amid rumors of a possible exit.

Laporta assures that he, along with the Barca board, will continue to persuade Messi to stay.

“Today, 20 years ago,[Lionel] Messi made his debut for Barca’s youth teams,” Laporta recounted. “The fact that the best player in the world came to vote today, along with his son, is proof that Leo Messi loves Barça. Messi wants Barça, the best player in the world wants Barça and that is very significant. We are going to encourage him to continue at FC Barcelona, which is what we all want.”

“This great family that is FC Barcelona will overcome these difficulties and we will achieve the objectives that we have set for ourselves,” the president added. “I would ask all Barça fans not to think about what Barça will do for you, think about what you can do for Barca.”