What’s the story?
Barcelona have submitted an official bid of €40 million to Sevilla for Spanish international Vitolo. The winger has attracted interest from a host of clubs (one of which is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City), and according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have been forced to make the official bid to ward off interest from other interested parties.
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Sevilla, fourth in the La Liga table, have had two very good seasons in the League (besides their European success in the Europa League under Unai Emery). Vitolo has been integral to that success and has contributed heavily in the League this season.
But, he has reserved his best performances for the national team. He has scored four goals in the five appearances he has had for Spain in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The heart of the matter
It is interesting to see Barcelona buying players like Vitolo. He is not your archetypical winger who would play clever balls, he is tall, strong and very quick.
He can hold up the ball in the midfield, and he is a brilliant passer of the ball, something which Barcelona would have inevitably looked at before bidding for him. The hypothetical situation for the midfielder will inevitably be a backup for the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar in the team, but with the Argentine pushing 30, he (Messi) is unlikely to play every game next season.
Vitolo, now 27 years old, has previously admitted to Marca that he would evaluate a move from Sevilla if the right offer came by, he said, “I have a contract, that's the first thing, and I am very happy here. But from there, if there are offers and the club listen to them, we'll see what can happen. It is a matter of seeing if there is something interesting for every party.”
What’s Next?
Sevilla, to an extent, petered off after a brilliant start to the season. Their promising run in the Champions League was also halted by Leicester City who beat them in a one-off game. But, the question remains, with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona in front of them in the queue, have they hit the ceiling?
Vitolo would certainly welcome a move to a bigger club as he has the potential to make it big, and with Barcelona entering a new era, he might have the chance to be one of the pioneers.
Author’s Take
The move makes a lot of sense for all parties, and will most probably be the first transfer of the summer for the Catalan giants. Arda Turan though might be on his way out.
