Barcelona have been tipped to sign Manchester United's best player.
Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw with SD Eibar last night and have now fallen to sixth on the La Liga table. With the team struggling to hit its stride, Barcelona are tipped to have a busy month ahead of them.
The January transfer window opens in two days and we take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 30 December 2020.
Philippe Coutinho set to be out for four months with knee injury
Philippe Coutinho is set to spent four months on sidelines due to a knee injury he picked up against SD Eibar last night. Barcelona issued an official update on the Brazilian's injury status today. He has sustained an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee and will need to undergo surgery.
The statement reads:
The tests carried out on the first team player Philippe Coutinho have shown that the midfielder has an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee. Treatment will necessitate arthroscopic surgery which will take place in the coming days.
The Brazilian came on in the 66th minute of the draw against Eibar in place of Miralem Pjanic but was unable to complete the game due to his injury which he picked up in injury time in the second half, leaving Barça with 10 men as they had already used their five permitted substitutes.
Carles Alena wants to leave Barcelona in January
Carles Alena is hoping to leave Barcelona in the winter transfer window, according to RAC1. Carles Alena showed a lot of promise initially after rising through the ranks at La Masia and breaking into the first-team. He has already made 44 appearances for the senior side.
However, he has fallen down the pecking order under new manager Ronald Koeman. Alena wants to leave the club as early as January and a loan move to Spanish side Getafe or another country altogether is being mooted, according to the report.
Watford director Giaretta tips Bruno Fernandes to join Barcelona or Real Madrid
Bruno Fernandes is currently tearing it up for Manchester United in the Premier League. The midfielder has been in sublime form and has scored 10 goals and provided seven assists from across 15 appearances this season.
Now, Watford director Cristiano Giaretta, who brought Bruno Fernandes to Italy back in 2012, has opined that Bruno Fernandes would fit right in at Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus.
On being asked about Paul Pogba, Giaretta told Calciomercato:
“Sure, but beyond the comparisons it is undeniable that Bruno Fernandes is the real captain of the team. If others are important, he is essential. If I have to tell the truth it didn’t even surprise me too much from this point of view: at 18 he was already an adult in his head. The hard work did the rest."
He was further asked about where Fernandes might end up in the future to which he replied:
“Good question. It almost goes without saying that he would be fine with Real Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus. The truth is he could go anywhere, but in my opinion he’s already at the top."