Also I think you are underestimating the positive influence of those veterans in the team, I know you are more signed to the idea of "amigos" but all young players speak positively about those. I don't think selling/moving our 5 captains at one off-season is smart idea. It rarely works and it creates a leadership gap, especially if player like Griezmann don't step up on and off the pitch.
Don't really see that much leadership in them. Remember Messi is playing this season here against his will (maybe he has changed his mind, we'll see about that in a few months).
I don't have problems with Busi's personality and if he'd accept a sub role and a significant pay cut in line with his new role in the team I wouldn't mind him staying for another season but he's by far our biggest liability on the pitch right now from all "fixed" starters and I don't think he'd be a great captain anyway (he'd become our captain if Messi leaves which the club don't really have any impact on anymore regardless of what Laporta and Font are saying).
Pique is returning from a serious injury at age 34. I like him the most among our captains but just don't believe he can give us anything more. Also, he's a distraction off the field with his outspoken personality.
Roberto is the least problematic, I agree he could still give us a few years but I really like Emerson and would prefer to keep him so if Roberto stays I'd exclusively use him as a midfielder. He's far from a captain material though.
And even moreso with Alba. I would rather give a captain armband to Braithwaite than him tbh.
I am not saying they won't be serviceable here, but they can't be sole signings, not when you let go your top 5 captains, your own club ,arguably football, GOAT and other highly paid players like Coutinho and Umtiti like you suggest. If we do this then we at least need one big signing, not necessary a Haland type but maybe a 35M+ CB or something.
Would be nice if you're right and we could bring someone like Upamecano (42m clause) but just don't see it happening. At this point my preference (if we'll have any money to spend) would clearly be on a CB before a striker though. We won't get Haaland and we could go through next season with what we have in attack and possibly Depay even if Messi leaves but something needs to be done about the defense and I don't think only bringing Garcia is enough.
Here is my take, if we are really going to go all in on "budget" then I don't prefer to slash only the old guards, I would actually like some of them to stay and sell with profit some of the middle group.
Roberto won't bring us solid money with 1 year left in contract, but PSG is eyeing Emerson for example, if we can get something at least twice what we are paying for him then I am ok with it.
I would argue that Roberto has at least 3 serviceable years as RB & CM when needed, and if we rate Dest as better player than Emerson then there is no need to bring both, it will probably cost Emerson some development and he will lose some value if he comes here to be back up. Obviously Roberto need to renew with a reasonable contract (sort like Laporta did in 2003 when he told veterans they need pay cut if they want to stay)
Lenglet doesn't look like he will suit us as CB when we play highline, which is the right way to play if you want to build an elite team. If we can get some Mina type of money I would prefer selling him over a veteran like Pique.
As said above about Emerson I really like him and think it would be a mistake to sell him before giving him at least a season here. Unless we receive something like 40m (which we won't). But if we'd have an option to sell Emerson or Roberto for around the same money (20m) I'd keep a younger player with more potential (who we could still sell in a year or two if he won't work out) and on lower wages.
Lenglet is far from great but one thing he does have is he's extremely durable which I always respect in players (the same for Griezmann and Raki). As a coach you know he'll almost always be there when you need him. Pique also stayed mostly injury free for most of his career but we just don't know what will happen now. We gamble on him, he never fully recovers and then we'll have three unproven kids playing next season? That's why I'd keep Lenglet over Pique. If he'll have another average season we can always sell him next year for 20-25m (which I think is the most we'll get now anyway) but maybe he can still somehow recover his good form. I haven't totally given up on him yet.
I might go as far as selling MATS if it means we can get a CB we totally trust to transform our defense. This should be priority.
Agreed that fixing a defense should be priority but I see MATS as a key part and possible a captain of our post-Messi team.
Everyone has his price but just don't think there will be any good enough offers for us to even consider selling him and making another glaring hole in the team we'll need to cover.
Not sure about Alba, he is disciplined SOB and I can see him last to 34 as very good FB like Alves did. I highly doubt there is any market for him and Alba is probably the kind of guy who will want his money, which means we will have to sell him to someone willing to give him that salary for 3 years.
Replacing him with Gaya sounds cool, but I doubt it is realistic.
Don't think it's that unrealistic. IF PSG really signs Messi they might as well just go all in and also sign Alba and Ramos, try to win the CL in next 2 years and then go to hell.
I would ask Busquets to go, I think he will accept that since he knows he is 2nd in line after Xavi as future coached who were Barca legends.
I hope he'd accept to leave but as said above I think it's more likely he'd agree to a lesser role and pay cut to stay around for another season.
