- Barca made seven signings this summer
- Cruyff claims players had "better offers"
- New arrivals will feature against Bayern
WHAT HAPPENED? Barcelona had a busy summer, activating a string of economic levers to steady the ship financially while embarking on a spending spree which saw seven players recruited. Cruyff has now claimed that many of those new arrivals were offered more money by other clubs.
WHAT THEY SAID: "You can see the pride in the eyes of the players when they get a chance to sign for Barcelona and that has helped a lot, being able to compete with clubs with bigger budgets and better salaries," He told Guillem Balague at the Cruyff Legacy Summit.
"They wanted to sign for Barcelona and we are very grateful for these players because, believe me, they had better offers than us. And still they chose to follow their dream to be part of the history. When you see the eyes shining in these players you know you are in a special place."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea were one of the sides that competed with Barcelona for signings in the summer. The Blues were heavily interested in both Raphinha and Jules Kounde but failed to seal deals for either man, and they also saw Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso make their way to Camp Nou. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski turned down a contract extension at Bayern Munich before joining Barca in a €50m (£43m/$51m) deal.
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FC Barcelona
Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW? Barcelona were recently revealed to have the second-highest spending cap in La Liga, with only rivals Real Madrid having a more generous limit.
WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA? Some of Barca's new signings will be in action on Tuesday night when they face the daunting task of a trip to Bayern in the Champions League.