The summer transfer window officially opens in a week’s time, but the crazy season is already upon us as clubs look to strengthen their squad with clever signings. After enduring a difficult season, where they often had to rely on Lionel Messi’s brilliance to bail them out of trouble time and again, it has become apparent that Barcelona need to sign top players if they are to snatch back their label of top dogs.
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Over the course of the season, the apparent lack of quality bench players and quality midfielders hampered the title hopes of the Catalans despite having the best forward line in Europe.
They have already been linked with quite a few players, so here are five of the most prominent of those name and we look at the possibilty of them arriving at Camp Nou.
#5 Lucas Lima
Transfer fee: Free transfer, Chances of joining Barca: 95%
Fans in Brazil know him as a powerful assist machine and Neymar’s dad is his representative. Oh, and he is a midfielder. In a highly-depleted Barcelona midfield, what else could Barca fans ask for? Apparently, it was Neymar’s suggestion that prompted the Catalans to look into him and now they are on the verge signing him on a free after his contract expires in January.
His reputation in Brazil is unprecedented. With slick passing and an innate ability to dribble out of tight spaces, he holds the distinction of being a super creative player that wreaks havoc against defences for fun.
However, with the good comes the bad: Lima is quite injury-prone, something that has been a constant hurdle in his career. Also, he is 27 years old, which means he is not a young talent, but then he has the experience necessary to succeed at the top level—however, not in Europe.
Keeping all this mind, he would be a 7.5/10 signing for the Catalans.
#4 Marco Verratti
Transfer fee: €90-100 million, Chances of joining Barca: 70%
With the departure of Xavi and the apparent decline of Andres Iniesta, coupled with the fading influence of Busquets due to the lack of a proper partner, the midfield conundrum of Barca has only gotten bigger. While Ivan Rakitic is a good player by all means, he hasn’t lived up to the huge name of his predecessor, Xavi.
Enter Marco Verratti.
The Italian has been one of the most sought-after players ever since he was at Pescara. After winning the bidding war against Juventus, Paris-Saint Germain snapped him up as one of the main pillars on which they hoped to build their dominance both in France and Europe.
While they have done well in France, their performance in Europe have been disappointing and it is apparently in Verratti’s best interests to make a move. Hence, it is a perfect move for all parties involved since both of them need each other.
In Verratti, Barca will not only get a creative deep midfielder who can unsettle opposition defences with his long balls but also the kind of possession sprayer beside whom Sergio Busquets works best.
Hence, he would be a 9/10 signing for the Camp Nou outfit.
#3 Miralem Pjanic
Transfer fee: €50-60 million, Chances of joining Barca: 30%
The Barcelona board has promised big-name signings and if they fail to acquire Marco Verratti, Miralem Pjanic will be looked at instead according to reports in Spain. The former Roma midfielder joined Juventus only last year for a fee close to €35 million and will cost Barca much more than that after a good debut season at Turin.
One of the strongest aspects of the Bosnian is his ability to play in both deep and attacking midfield, allowing Barca to play a diverse set of systems without having to worry about lacking the necessary player.
Pjanic’s shift to deep midfield is what makes Barca look at him as an alternative for Verratti. The former Lyon midfielder is a highly creative midfielder who also happens to have the required ball control to play in the attacking half while also acquiring the defensive tenacity this season to play in front of the defence.
He would be an 8/10 signing for Ernesto Valverde’s team.
#2 Hector Bellerin
Transfer fee: €35-40 million, Chances of joining Barca: 50%
While Arsenal have made it very clear that the Spaniard is not for sale, it is difficult to rule out a homecoming for Bellerin, especially since Cesc Fabregas was also never for sale – but made it to Barca eventually.
After the departure of Dani Alves, the Catalans have failed to acquire the services of a proper right-back to replace the Brazilian. While both Aleix Vidal and Sergi Roberto have shown glimpses of brilliance, they don’t really fill up the void left by the former Sevilla man.
And it is for this reason that Hector Bellerin has been touted as the next right-back at the Camp Nou. Given that Bellerin has Catalan root – or as Xavi would claim, Barca DNA – it seems plausible that he would make a comeback.
And if he does, Barca will have a full-back who is quick, a good crosser and explosive, while also being better at defensively positioning himself than Dani Alves.
For all his worth, he would be an 8/10 signing.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
Transfer fee: €90 million, Chances of joining Barca: 80%
Some say that the deal has been already agreed with the player, while Dortmund claim that they haven’t been in talks with anyone regarding their most talented prospect. Among all Barcelona targets, Dembele is certainly the most talented – and watching him play for Dortmund shows just why.
The man is so ambidextrous that he himself is confused as to which foot of his is stronger. From careful viewing, one can only assume that he dribbles and passes better with his left, but shoots more accurately with his right.
However, the line is very blurred. In terms of ball controlling ability, he comes close to the great Lionel Messi and all he lacks is the final product and the decision-making to become a true Ballon d’Or candidate.
At Barca, under the tutelage of Messi, he might as well go on to improve his decision-making and take over from Lionel Messi to become one of the best players in the world.
He would easily be a 10/10 signing regardless of the price paid for him.
