Barcelona may regret not signing defensive midfield target

Barcelona have an injury issue to deal with and how well they navigate the next month will go a long way to determining how well they do this season. With key Champions League and La Liga matches on the horizon, Barca will need to work hard to stay in contention.

Earlier today it was revealed that Barcelona were offered the chance to sign Joshua Kimmich in the summer transfer window but declined for financial reasons. It’s not the first time the German captain has been linked with a move to Catalonia, and it’s widely accepted that Xavi is a huge admirer of the midfielder.

Another name linked to Barca in the summer was that of Boca Juniors defensive midfielder Alan Varela, a combative and intelligent midfielder who breaks up play and excels with his positioning.

For one reason or another, Xavi and the Barcelona management team decided against signing the #6, and he instead joined Champions League rivals Porto in an €8 million deal.

Barcelona may regret not signing Varela when they had the chance

The report by SPORT indicates that Barca is still tracking Varela, and were very impressed with him during Barcelona’s 1-0 win in Estadio do Dragao against Porto.

Unfortunately for Barcelona, his value has already skyrocketed after an outstanding start to the season in both Portugal and Europe.

He’s exactly the kind of player that Barca needs, and there is an argument that he was well worth spending the extra on, rather than settling for Oriol Romeu who joined from Girona.

Romeu was always a short-term fix, and while he had experience playing at Barcelona…he’s also into the twilight years of his career and a replacement for Romeu will need to be found.

There is already talk that Barca are making defensive midfield a key priority for the 2024 summer transfer window, which says everything about the perceived weakness in the team.