Barcelona can no longer afford players like Mbappe and Haaland, says Xavi

Barcelona can no longer afford to shell out huge sums in transfer fees for top players like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, coach Xavi Hernandez said.

Barcelona forked out fees in excess of €100 million for Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele between 2017-19, but the club's financial issues mean they are unlikely to splurge on big new signings anytime soon.

Xavi has said they are hoping to sign new players in the January transfer window but when asked if they could go after the likes of Manchester City's Haaland or France captain Mbappe he told reporters: "I have to deal with the players I have, because right now we are not able to think about those kinds of signings.

"Unfortunately, we are not in a privileged situation economically to do that. I am left with the players I have, and with those players we have to win," added the Spaniard, speaking ahead of Barcelona's league game at Las Palmas on Thursday.

"We have to win titles and we have to play well because the bar is very high."

Barcelona are fourth in the league, 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid, who have played one game more than Xavi's side.

Meanwhile, Mbappe says he has not yet taken a decision about his future.

The 25-year-old's contract with the Ligue 1 champions ends in the summer and he has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Mbappe had informed PSG in June that he would not be considering an option to extend his contract for another 12 months.

"First of all, I'm very, very, very motivated for this year. It's very important," Mbappe said on the BBC website.

"As I said, we've got titles to go after and we've already won one, so that's already done. After that, no, I haven't made up my mind yet.

"But in any case, with the agreement I made with the chairman [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] this summer, it doesn't matter what I decide," he added.

"We managed to protect all parties and preserve the club's serenity for the challenges ahead, which remains the most important thing. So we'll say it's secondary."

Mbappe joined PSG in 2017, on loan from Monaco before a €180m move.

He was set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2021-22 season but ultimately signed a two-year contract extension, with the option of a further year.

However, after Mbappe told PSG he would not agree to the additional 12 months of the deal, he was not selected for their pre-season tour to Japan in the summer.

He subsequently refused to meet with representatives of Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who made a world record £259m offer for him.

The striker later returned to first-team training following what PSG said were "very constructive and positive" talks.

Mbappe turned down a move to Real Madrid when he agreed to his current deal with PSG in May 2022 but may not leave a decision on his plans as late this time around.

He added: "I think it was the end of May in 2022 because I didn't know until May.

"If I know what I want to do, why drag it out? It just doesn't make sense."

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