Barcelona Transfer News: Robert Fernandez Targets More Signings Before Deadline

Barcelona want to complete two more signings before the end of the week, according to the club's sporting director, Robert Fernandez.

The Blaugrana unveiled club-record £96.8 million signing Ousmane Dembele as their latest addition on Monday, but Fernandez said the Catalan kings don't intend on stopping their summer investment there, per ESPN FC's Sam Marsden:

"We are negotiating with certain players about joining.

"We need things sorted quickly as there are not many days left of the transfer window. We hope things progress well and that we are able to present another player this month.

"We're working on a number of possibilities. We have to wait. We know the type of player we want and the profile we need to improve the team, and we will push until the last possible moment.

"My intention is that one more player comes in and, if it's possible, even two."

Fernandez didn't go into detail when pushed for answers on which players the club was targeting, although Spanish football writer Rik Sharma noted some hint at Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho:

It's been a difficult few months for Barcelona, who surrendered the league title to rivals Real Madrid, lost star winger Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in a £200 million deal and have been pushed back in numerous transfer pursuits.

Dembele—whose fee could rise to £135.5 million with add-ons—arrived at the Camp Nou as Barca's fifth signing of the summer after Paulinho, Nelson Semedo, Marlon and returned academy graduate Gerard Deulofeu.

Many would agree Fernandez is right to seek more talent and must persist after being stopped in efforts to sign Nice star Jean Michael Seri, per Marsden's report, and PSG's Marco Verratti, who reiterated his loyalty to the French club in July:

Paulinho, a Brazil international who revived his form in China after falling short at Tottenham Hotspur, isn't considered to be the long-term successor to Andres Iniesta Barca are widely known to be chasing.

Another signing with greater pedigree in that area of the field may be appreciated by fans if more money is spent, though Yahoo Sport UK's Andrew Gaffney recently questioned the club's transfer strategy in recent years:

Neymar's transfer to the Parc des Princes has complicated this summer's window greatly, inflating prices and offering clubs more room to resist the approaches of clubs like Barca, who are in a sort-of rebuild phase.

Fernandez will undoubtedly have his targets set with only a few days of the summer transfer window remaining, but the question is whether Barcelona will be able to force deals over the line this late in the day.