Barcelona looking to reinforce the left-back position ahead of next season.
One of the positions that Barcelona are lacking is at left-back. Jordi Alba is the unquestionable starter with Junior Firpo as his back-up. The gap between the two is significant.
Which is why the club are looking to find not only an adequate back-up but a player who can give Alba competition for the starting spot.
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According to Sport, Barcelona have made contact with Valencia over their left-back, Jose Luis Gaya. The report claims that Valencia told the Catalan side that Gaya would be available for €15 million plus add-ons.
On the surface, the price seems more than reasonable. However, the elephant in the room continues to be the financial crisis the club currently finds itself in.
The definition of “reasonable” is different at the Camp Nou. It’s one of the reasons why delaying the elections was a risk. Not until a new president is elected will he be able to assess exactly what kind of financial shape the club actually are in.
Should he have a plan to reduce the debt and improve their financial stability, the club would be more than willing to pay Valencia for Gaya.
Firpo is one of the players likely on his way out come the end of the season. He’d likely have been moved during the winter transfer window if not for personal reasons and it would leave the team without a back-up. With that said, Barcelona are going to need to add depth to the left-back position.
Alba has been the starting left-back for a number of seasons now. His understanding with Lionel Messi has made him almost indispensable for Ronald Koeman as well as past managers.
Close to 32, Alba is entering the twilight of his career and the club need to find someone who can take over sooner rather than later. We’ve seen the disastrous results when they fail to plan accordingly when it comes to aging players.
Gaya has really broken out in the past season or so. He was speculated with a move during Valencia’s fire last summer. Barcelona are likely to face competition if the cost to sign him is as low as it’s being reported.