One of the most significant players from the Barcelona side which won the treble back in 2015 was approached over a return- but to no avail.
Barcelona met another major stumbling block in their bid to steady their ship as they lost Gerard Pique to a long-term injury last weekend. The former Spain international is expected to be on the treatment table for a large part of the remaining season and a major fitness snag suffered by him means that Ronald Koeman must sign a central defender in January.
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Sadly, the options at Barca’s disposal are very limited due to their financial situation. Eric Garcia seems like a good cheap option, but the Citizens are still hopeful of keeping him at the Etihad Stadium for longer than his current deal. That means they will refuse to get rid of the former La Masia product in the winter as he is crucial for Pep Guardiola.
According to reports, Barcelona legend Javier Mascherano was approached by the club’s board over a short-term stint at the Camp Nou. The Argentine retired from all forms of football last week but the talk is that he was offered a return back to the Camp Nou, albeit for a span of six months- ranging from January to June.
However, the 36-year-old flatly turned down the offer on the pretext that he had made a clear decision. As good as the return of Mascherano would have been for Barcelona, it is a blessing in disguise that he has rejected any approach. Landing a player who is 36 will only go on to limit playing time for the younger players- Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza.
To be honest, Barcelona are not in contention to win any trophies this season and it would only take them a miracle to reach the summit. The remaining parts of the campaign, although large, must be used by Koeman to integrate the fringe players into the system and perhaps help the side learn to live without their reliance on Lionel Messi.