Arthur in, Lenglet close to join and Paulinho out: It is a busy week for Barca

The 2018 World Cup still has just under a week left, but club football continues apace with Barcelona expecting a busy week.

Ernesto Valverde and his coaching team are now working to prepare their squad for the 2018/19 season, be that in the transfer market or their pre-season calendar.

It's been a hectic summer to this point with Robert Fernandez departing the club prior to Eric Abidal's return, and we all remember the debacle that was Los Cules' ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of Antoine Griezmann.

There is a still another week left in the World Cup, but the majority of clubs now have their players gradually beginning to return from their holidays.

Abidal has been working tirelessly to ensure Valverde has a squad capable of competing in the Champions League, and there are set to be significant developments sooner rather than later.

Clement Lenglet:

The French defender could be the first to arrive with the terms of his transfer to the Camp Nou all but agreed as recently as Friday.

If everything goes according to plan then this deal could be announced as early as Monday afternoon with the intention being that the Sevilla defender is in place for the first day of pre-season training on Thursday.

Arthur:

Barcelona have had their eye on Gremio's playmaking midfielder for a while, with an agreement being struck in principle for him to join in January 2019.

Los Cules have worked to persuade the Porto Alegre club to renege on these terms in order for the Brazilian to join this summer.

Having already said a public farewell to Gremio, Arthur is expected to land in Spain before Thursday to complete the formalities of his transfer.

Paulinho:

Guangzhou Evergrande have announced an agreement which will take the Brazilian midfielder back to China after just one season in LaLiga.

The finer points of the transfer still need to be rubber stamped, but the Catalan club will make a 10 million euro profit and free up a non-EU squad space.

Spanish Super Cup final:

Away from the negotiating table, Barcelona have been engulfed in a controversy surrounding the 2018 edition of the Spanish Super Cup.

Neither Sevilla nor LaLiga have been able to come to an agreement on the details of the encounter, although a meeting in Las Rozas will take place on Monday that should sort out the problem.

Both teams are set to receive one million euros and 6,000 tickets for the match to be a one-off affair played in Morocco.

Valverde's second season begins:

With pre-season starting on Thursday, the second season in charge for the Spanish coach begins.

Those who haven't been involved in the World Cup will be present on Wednesday for a thorough medical examination, before embarking on a fitness regime.

Credit: Marca.com