Barcelona join Atletico Madrid in race to secure Spanish midfielder

Barcelona are currently on the lookout for a new central defensive midfielder. Sergio Busquets is currently filling in for that position at the moment however, his age has affected his performance recently, and since Ronald Koeman likes to play Frenkie de Jong a bit higher up on the pitch, the club needs to bring in a new defensive midfielder.

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The original plan was to bring in Gini Wijnaldum from Liverpool as the player was not satisfied with the contract being offered by the Merseyside club. The Dutchman would have come to Barcelona on a free transfer which would help the club with his wages however, according to Italian journalist  Fabrizio Romano, the player has decided to join Paris Saint-Germain instead due to the massive increase in wages being offered.

Barcelona eye a replacement for Sergio Busquets

This is a huge blow for the Catalans as they missed out on a free and experienced player. However, this could also be a blessing in disguise as reports from Italian media houses suggest that AS Roma’s midfielder, Gonzalo Villar could be on his way out after the appointment of Jose Mourinho.

According to Ffichajes via Italian newspaper, Il Tempo, the Portuguese manager will have the final say as to whether the player will stay at the club or not. The 23-year-old had a good season with Roma, playing almost 50 games last season however, Mourinho will decide if he is required to stay at the club. The manager has some revolutionary plans for Roma and he will be willing to sell all the players he does not require.

This is good news for Barcelona as the player is much younger than Wijnaldum thus he can offer more longevity at the club, plus he is also a very versatile defensive midfielder who also has the ability to play as an attacking midfielder and a left midfielder. However, we are yet to find out whether the Catalans can afford the player especially as Atletico Madrid are also scouting the player. We must wait and see what Mourinho decides and then speculate on his future further.

Would Gonzalo Villar be a good fit for Barca?