The shock sale of Neymar to Paris St Germain has shorn Barca of a world-class talent and they are yet to find a replacement, with reportedly advanced negotiations for Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele not yet complete.

And fans didn’t take it well when their new €40million signing botched an attempt to impress with some keepie-uppies…

Amid the uncertainty Paulinho - the 29-year-old former Tottenham midfielder - has arrived following two years with Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, and he is eager to play a stabilising role.

Speaking at his Nou Camp unveiling on Thursday, he said: "You have to face challenges with courage. I will try to do my job and I am prepared.

"Coming here is a dream. It's a very satisfying moment. I will give everything."

Barca's pre-season preparations were further rocked by a 5-1 aggregate defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana.

Real won 3-1 in Barcelona on Sunday and dominated the Blaugrana again in the return leg, with the Spanish media lamenting a lack of incision now that Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are no longer assisted by Neymar in the frontline.

On social media a number of Barca fans have begun to call for the resignation of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has overseen the modest recruitment drive that has so far brought in Nelson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu and Paulinho.