3rd August 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
FC Barcelona have undergone somewhat of shift in their transfer policy this summer, and one that hints at a further philosophical adjustment from manager Luis Enrique.

The Barça coach has chosen to operate with a relatively small squad during his two seasons in charge at the Camp Nou, and there is no debate over the fact that he has been incredibly successful: a treble of La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey marked a near-perfect debut season, and the last campaign saw Barça claim a domestic league and cup double.

Luis Enrique put his trust in a core set of incredibly talented individuals, and did very little rotating of his squad. The former AS Roma coach leaned heavily on the talents of the famous "MSN" attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, along with the likes of Andrés Iniesta, Ivan Rakiti?, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué.

These are players of almost super-human footballing ability, and each would walk into any side in the world; it's easy to see why they would be played every single week.

But towards the back end of last season, Barcelona suffered the kind of dip in form that we hadn't seen from them in some time; the front three seemed to be ever so slightly out of sync, and the midfield a fraction off-pace.

A run of four games without victory in La Liga, encompassing a three-game losing streak hardly disastrous by most team's standards saw what was previously deemed as an unassailable nine-point lead over second-placed Atlético Madrid completely obliterated, as Diego Simeone's men drew level with Barça, while Real Madrid were just one point back in third.

During the same period, the Blaugrana were also dumped out of the Champions League final by Atléti at the quarter-final stage.

Barcelona were able to recover enough form to win La Liga by a point, and retain the Copa del Rey by defeating Sevilla 2-0 at the Vicente Calderón.

But could that end of season blip have been avoided by preserving the energy levels of their biggest stars? Would the occasional rest for Messi or Neymar or Busquets have helped them maintain their other-worldly level of performance a little longer?

Maybe so. And it seems that Luis Enrique has decided to explore that possibility by reducing his side's reliance on their established stars, judging by the club's recent transfer business.

This summer, Barcelona's focus has been on adding young, versatile players who can deputise for the heroes of the Camp Nou. Luis Enrique's squad has grown a little in size and a lot in quality, which will enable the Spanish tactician to rotate his squad more regularly, without suffering a huge drop-off in quality.

Messi, Neymar and Suárez played 49, 49 and 53 games respectively for Barça last season, and that's not counting their international obligations, which often see the trio travelling to South America to represent their countries. That amount of high-level, high-intensity football will take its toll over the course of a season, and the cross-continental travel will serve only to exacerbate their exhaustion.

This season, the burden on the "MSN" could be lifted slightly, and the three superstars stand to benefit.

Denis Suárez has returned to Barça this summer to act as first-choice deputy to both Neymar and Messi. The 22-year-old has returned to the Catalan giants after a successful season with Villarreal. In what could turn out to be one of the bargains of the transfer window, Barcelona exercised the buy-back option they had on the player, re-signing him for just €3.75 million. Suárez's pace, creativity and ability to play on either flank will make him a valuable asset for Luis Enrique.

Barça are also thought to be on the lookout for a striker to act as understudy to Luis Suárez. Their primary targets were Luciano Vietto and Kévin Gameiro, but they have missed out on both as Vietto has joined Sevilla from Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan with an option to buy, while Gameiro has moved in the opposite direction for around €40 million.

Barcelona's striker wish-list now consists of an eclectic mix of centre-forwards such as German veteran Mario Gomez, young Brazilian sensation Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa, Mexico-based Frenchman André-Pierre Gignac and Juventus target man Mario Mandžuki?.

Luis Enrique has also bolstered his defensive option with the astute additions of two young French players. Left-back Lucas Digne has been brought in from Paris Saint Germain for around €18 million, and Samuel Umtiti who impressed for France at the recent European Championship has joined from Lyon for €25 million. Both men, as is the case will all of Barça's incomings so far this summer, were 22 years old at the time of signing, although Digne has since turned 23.

Digne spent last season on loan in Serie A with Roma, and drew many admirers with his performances for the Giallorossi. He will provide cover and competition for regular left-back Jordi Alba, although he may also be asked to operate at right-back following the departure of Dani Alves.

Umtiti is a fast and athletic left-sided centre-back with excellent distribution. His accurate passing should make him an ideal fit in the Barcelona defence. His presence will alleviate the club's overreliance on Piqué and Javier Mascherano, and the young defender would make an ideal partner for either. Umtiti's purchase represents a significant upgrade on 25-year-old Spain international Marc Bartra, who left the club to join Borussia Dortmund this summer.

The closest thing to a marquee signing Barcelona have made during the off-season is the capture of Portuguese midfielder André Gomes from Valencia.

Gomes was thought to be literally hours away from completing a move to Real Madrid last month, before Barça swooped in to steal the talented midfielder away from their bitter rivals.

Barça could eventually end up paying as much as €70 million for Gomes, but their initial outlay is just €35 million, with a further €20 million in conditional bonuses, which will be yet further augmented by a €15 million fee if the player wins the Ballon d'Or at any point during his Barcelona stay.

Gomes has been signed to join the midfield rotation, sharing roles with Iniesta and Rakiti?, with the idea seemingly being that the 22-year-old playmaker will eventually take over from Iniesta at some stage in the future.

Although they may not be making the kind of headline grabbing moves in the transfer market that has seen them spend fortunes on one player in previous years, Barça are building smartly for this upcoming season.

Luis Enrique and the club's hierarchy have clearly learned the lesson which cost them the chance of retaining the Champions League last season, and almost saw them lose their grip on La Liga.

With the arrival of a handful of hungry young players and with a new striker likely to follow the impact of this summer's transfer business will be two-fold: the new recruits will be desperate to make a mark and play their part, while their presence will keep the current crop on their toes.

When you have the likes of Messi, Neymar, Suárez and Iniesta in your side, it is impossible not to rely heavily on their immense talent. But now, Barça are backing their stars up with quality in abundance.