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First of all, Happy New Year.
It is the first of January, which means it is the first day of a brand new year and at the same time, it also the first day of the winter transfer window. Barcelona, just like the other teams, will have their task cut out as they will look to bring in some reinforcements to the Camp Nou with the second half of the season set to get underway in a few days' time.
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Barcelona are leading LaLiga at the start of 2019, with a three-point gap over Atletico Madrid who are in the second place and an eight-point lead (played an extra game) over their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are fourth in the table.
In the first Barcelona transfer roundup of 2019, we take a look at what the Catalan giants are up to in the first day of the transfer window.
Frenkie de Jong agrees to join Barcelona
According to reports in SportBild, one of the hottest young talents in Football, Frenkie de Jong has agreed to a five-year contract with defending LaLiga champions and the league table-toppers Barcelona.
De Jong has been linked with many top European clubs and this could end all the speculations of him being targetted by giants like Bayern Munich. The reports suggest that the player has given his word but the Catalans need to agree terms with his club Ajax to complete the signing.
The 21-year-old central midfielder has been in great form of late and has been one of the most sought-after players in Europe. De Jong, who made his senior debut for The Netherlands last year, is having a dream season for Ajax in Eredivisie as he has been rock solid in the midfield and apart from that, he has scored four goals so far this season.
Latest on Adrian Rabiot
According to Le Parisien, FC Barcelona and Adrien Rabiot have started the talks for an agreement. The French midfielder has been linked with Barcelona for a while now and if the reports are to be believed, they have almost agreed on the salary and the signing bonus.
This comes after the official statement released by Barcelona yesterday which said that they had not negotiated with the midfielder but confirmed their interest to sign him by adding that they had sent two offers to Paris Saint-Germain. At the moment there are no negotiations between clubs but according to the French media, the situation could evolve during the week.
"FC Barcelona denies the existence of any agreement with the PSG player Adrien Rabiot. The only contact was carried out in August and now a week ago. In both cases Barcelona has made contact with PSG," the club statement read.
It should be noted that Liverpool have also entered the race to sign Rabiot from PSG and Barcelona are set to face some stiff competition to get the midfielder to Camp Nou.
Barcelona eye French defender Jean-Clair Todibo
After signing the likes of Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti in the past, it looks like Barcelona are set to sign yet another French defender. According to reports in Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are looking to sign French central defender Jean-Clair Todibo from Toulouse in the January transfer window.
Todibo has chosen not to renew his contract with Toulouse and this has forced his club to make him train with the reserves. According to L’Equipe, his mother told him that he is not being valued enough at his current club and it has made him look at the offers that he has received from various clubs. As of now, Barcelona could be facing some stiff competition from Lyon, Inter Milan, Juventus and Napoli to sign the defender.
Manchester United joins the race to sign Tanguy Ndombele
According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web, Barcelona are set to fight off Manchester United and Inter Milan by paying £72m to sign Lyon star Tanguy Ndombele in the January transfer window.
Barcelona have shown their interest in Ndombele for a while now and Lyon are interested in a bargain if any of the three clubs come calling for the highly-rated midfielder. It has been revealed that the French club has put a value of £72m on the French international and it looks like Barcelona are reluctant to pay the money his parent club is asking for.
It should be noted that Manchester City have reportedly made a £45m bid for the youngster which has been rejected by the Ligue 1 side.
Head over to our Barcelona transfer news page for more!
