Despite financial crisis, here are 4 strikers Barcelona could sign in January.
After letting go of Luis Suarez in the summer transfer window, Barcelona have struggled to replace the star striker.
The idea that Ronald Koeman had was that he would sell off Ousmane Dembele and sign a player whom he has already worked with, Memphis Depay.
This of course did not go as smoothly as planned as the French winger refused to be sold to Manchester United and thus the Catalan side could not go ahead with their plans.
Barcelona must get a new striker in January, even if they do not completely solve their finances. They only have one option at the moment, Martin Braithwaite and he is not good enough to play on the level Barca needs him to.
The Danish international did score a brace against FC Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League but has been struggling against tougher oppositions.
With the Presidential elections to be held in January, Barca could potentially secure reinforcements by the end of the transfer season if the current management can set everything up for the future board.
Here are four strikers the club should definitely look into signing to bolster their attack:
Memphis Depay of Lyon
Memphis Depay
The Dutch striker is the one that Ronald Koeman is after and would have loved to have him in the squad before the beginning of the season. However, due to the aforementioned Dembele situation, the club must now wait until they fix their finances to sign him. Ideally, they can sign the winger/striker in June after his contract with Lyon runs out but the situation is getting dire in Barcelona and they have understood that Lionel Messi cannot be given the role of getting the goals. They need a proper number nine to put the balls in the back of the net. Although Depay is not a traditional number nine, Koeman has stated that he only used the Dutch player in that position and thus he trusts the player to solve their problems. Lyon were reportedly ready to let their striker leave for just 25 million euros in the last transfer window but the same amount could be a bit expensive for the Catalans given their financial situation. But then again he is the most prolific player that the club should be able to afford.
Donyell Malen of PSV Eindhoven
Donyell Malen
Another Dutch player that Koeman is familiar with and whom the club can afford is 21-year-old Donyell Malen. The forward is currently playing for PSV Eindhoven and has made a very good start to the season. He has scored nine goals in 14 appearances already and has captained his side twice this season. He has been making a lot of noise in European football and fans are loving him. He has already won the Dutch league once and is trying to help his team win another one although Ajax is currently in the lead. The striker is an amazing talent who has quick feet, great speed, and tremendous accuracy. He has already been linked to Barcelona before and he would be a great investment for the Spanish giants even if he is a bit expensive. The youngster could go on to be one of the club’s greats and Koeman should know about his talent, having managed him before in the Dutch national team.
Darwin Nunez of S.L. Benfica
Darwin Nunez
A relatively unknown player from tier two of La Liga is hardly someone a club like Barcelona would pay attention to but Darwin Nunez is an exception. His brilliant adaptation to Spanish football is what made the Catalans interested in him in the first place. The Uruguayan scored 16 goals in 32 matches last season with UD Almeria and the plan was to buy the young player and then send him back to Almeria on a loan. However, none of this could happen as Portuguese giants, Benfica swooped in and acquired him for a fee of 24 million Euros. Barcelona have not given up hope though and continues to scout the player. As soon as the new president comes in, he will want to bring in a number nine and Nunez should be one of the candidates. It will be hard to sign him given his five-year contract with Benfica but an offer from Camp Nou could change his mind.
Alexander Isak of Real Sociedad
Alexander Isak
Another player whom Barcelona have been keeping an eye on is Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak. The player joined the La Liga side last season and made an instant impact by scoring 16 goals in all competitions. His goals against Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey and Barcelona in the league really gave him a popularity boost. The player has been on Koeman’s mind as an alternative to Lautaro Martinez and Memphis Depay but it will not be easy to get him. The player has a release clause of 70 million euros and thus they might have to do some rigorous negotiations and might also have to add a player to get the deal done.
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