Barcelona transfer rumors: Club eyeing La Liga centerbacks
By Tarek Hisham
FC Barcelona will reportedly be chasing two La Liga youngsters this summer
Barcelona are currently in the midst of a 37 match unbeaten run and boast one of the best attacks in the history of football. Their defense has also been spectacular but it is easy to see that it will need some work in the next few years.
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Javier Mascherano is 31, Gerard Pique is 29, and Dani Alves is 32. That trio might be playing at their best right now but how long can they maintain that level of excellence? The Blaugrana have tried to find some reinforcements for their defense, particularly at centerback, but they have opted for more veteran players in the transfer market that have not worked out so well.
Thomas Vermaelen joined from Arsenal for £15 million in 2014 but has only made 21 appearances in a season and a half and is also 30-years-old. Jeremy Mathieu is another costly veteran centerback who joined Barcelona for €20 million in 2014 but has played in 70 matches so far. He has given the club a good return on their investment but is also in the over-30 club.
The long-term answer was thought to be Marc Bartra who was promoted from the youth ranks but he has been disappointing overall. So where do they turn next? The answer is to two rival clubs in La Liga who boast some of the most talented young central defenders in the world.
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Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao is a rumored target of the club but he will cost a pretty penny. Recent rumors have mentioned figures of £50 million or more for the 21-year-old Frenchman to move to Manchester City and play for Pep Guardiola.
Laporte has been a first team player for Athletic for four years now and is one of the hot commodities in European football. His release clause is set at €50 million but Spanish clubs often take less than those clauses for players because the transfer fees get taxed at a higher rate when the clause is met.
The second player on their radar is Atletico Madrid’s Jose Maria Gimenez. The Uruguayan defender is also 21 and has made 3 appearances for his country’s senior national team. Alongside his countryman Diego Godin, the youngster has marshalled a defense that has allowed an absurd 12 goals in 29 league matches this season.
They are the best defense in the league by 10 goals and Gimenez is seen as the reason why. He is the athletic foil to Godin’s more cerebral approach to the game and they compliment each other very well.
Gimenez recently signed a new deal with Atletico Madrid and they are facing a transfer ban so it is unlikely that the club will allow him to leave any time soon. Laporte may have that giant release clause but he is the more realistic candidate for Barcelona at this point. Not to mention that Atletico have entered the conversation of La Liga contenders under Diego Simeone and will want to hold on to their best young talents.
Whichever of these two young stars is targeted and purchased will be a coup for Barcelona. They have signed primarily older centerbacks to supplement their backline rather than focusing on young talent which is what usually makes this club so successful.
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Barcelona should be looking for the next Pique or Puyol that they can develop rather than a player who is already a finished product and these two studs certainly fit the bill.