5 reasons why Barcelona must make Thiago Alcantara their top transfer target

#4 An outlet for goals from distance

Italy v Spain - UEFA European U21 Championships: Final

This season, despite what some fans may say to the contrary, Barcelona have been overly reliant on Lionel Messi. The talismanic Argentine has scored 12 and assisted 3 of Barcelona's 30 goals in 11 league games so far, and while the man himself shows no signs of stopping his own personal goal fest, the team's inherent Messi-dependence does not augur well for the future of the club.

It is not that Barcelona are lacking in quality. With Rakitic, Iniesta, Busquets and a surprisingly solid defence, the club have outdone themselves this season. The chances created and goals, however, seem to come only from one man.

Thiago is a player who can help solve that problem to a considerable extent. While he doesn't score goals in heaps, the midfielder is more than capable of taking shots from outside the box, and hits the target quite often. Thiago is also capable of good link-up play with Messi, with the Argentine constantly looking for disruptive runs from the midfield.

Thiago Alcantara averaged a goal every 4 games or so for Bayern last season, and has scored a goal in his 3 starts for the German club this season as well. With the likes of Messi and Iniesta around at Barcelona, Thiago's goal tally is sure to improve if he returns to the Catalan club.