Barcelona midfield is on the verge of a massive overhaul as many stars are to be sold with the club looking elsewhere for reinforcements.
Barcelona midfielder used to be the heart of the squad a couple of years ago with the trio of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets ruling the world of football. Since the departure of Xavi and Iniesta, the club has truly struggled to keep their identity.
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The current midfielders at Barca are struggling to control the matches with the likes of Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong having the only positive contribution to the squad. Arthur Melo was tipped by many as the next ‘Xavi’ as the Brazilian possessed a similar playstyle but has fallen short.
The latest reports, however, claim that the 23-year-old is on the verge of joining Juventus in an exchange deal that would see Miralem Pjanic join the Catalans. Ivan Rakitic is another midfielder linked with a move away with multiple European giants looking to secure the Croatian international.
Quique Setien, however, recently revealed that the squad is at its best when Rakitic is on the field causing debates whether or not Rakitic is really leaving this summer. With one season left on his contract and publically stating his desire to stay, the 32-year-old may be sticking around for another season.
Arturo Vidal is another name that is highly in demand this summer with Inter Milan requesting his service in exchange for Lautaro Martinez. Riqui Puig and Alex Collado are the La Masia graduates that fans around the world are most excited to see with the first-team but will have to wait a while longer as the coaches feel they need more time to develop.
Due to these many changes about to happen to the Catalan midfield, the board is looking for cheaper reinforcements this summer as the expensive signings will have to wait another season due to the economic crisis revolving around the club.
Russian midfielder, Aleksey Miranchuk, was recently linked to the club as an ideal replacement to Arthur Melo in the case of his departure. AS now reports that Barca are now looking at Lyon star, Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian is a hot talent with many clubs seeing the 22-year-old’s potential during Lyon’s victory against Juventus during their first-leg clash in the Champions League.
The youngster is currently on a four-year contract costing the French side 22 million dollars. It is unlikely that the Ligue 1 side lets go of their future star for cheap and Barca’s already problematic financial status could hinder any approaches.
Should Barca sign the talented midfielder this summer?