Barcelona receive major boost to land Valencia captain Jose Gaya

Ronald Koeman’s only transfer deal in his first season at Barcelona was right-back, Sergino Dest. The wing-back from Ajax was selected by the former Everton manager due to his attacking prowess which can be paralleled to the playing style of Catalan legend, Jordi Alba. Koeman sold the underperforming Nelson Semedo and made Dest his number one choice for his team’s right-back position.

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The Dutch manager wanted to do the same thing for the left-back position as well because Jordi Alba is an aging player while Junior Firpo has failed to live up to his potential. Firpo along with Semedo were given a lot of chances to showcase their abilities in the 2018/19 season, however, they failed to impress Koeman and both of them became non-essential players for the new manager. Thus the former Barca legend started looking for a new left-back and his attention was fixed on Jose Gaya.

The current Valencia captain has been on the Blaugrana’s radar for quite a while now and for good reasons as well. The Spaniard, who has been raised by the Valencia system since his early days, has become a consistent performer and has shown the leadership qualities to wear the armband as well. The 26-year-old is currently in the prime of his career and he will not be willing to waste his potential at Valencia, a team in dire financial conditions as well as dire performance in the league.

Jose Gaya interested in Barcelona move

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, the left-back, who has received a call up from Luis Enrique for the 2021 Euros, has decided to halt contract talks with his current club. Gaya’s current contract runs till 2023 however, Valencia’s financial condition might compel them to sell their most valuable player in their squad.

This is good news for Barcelona as they now have a chance of securing a replacement for the aging Alba and if they can sell Firpo, they might have enough funds to sign Gaya. However, they might have to face some stiff competition from Manchester City as Pep Guardiola is also quite fond of the player, and the Citizens are also keeping a close eye on the situation.

Should Barca push hard for Gaya?