5 players Barcelona could sign in January

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Luis Enrique manager of Barcelona speaks during a FC Barcelona press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on February 22, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Luis Enrique manager of Barcelona speaks during a FC Barcelona press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on February 22, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
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SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 09: Marc Roca of RCD Espanyol duels for the ball with Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad during the La Liga match between Real Sociedad de Futbol and RCD Espanyol at Estadio Anoeta on September 9, 2016 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 09: Marc Roca of RCD Espanyol duels for the ball with Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad during the La Liga match between Real Sociedad de Futbol and RCD Espanyol at Estadio Anoeta on September 9, 2016 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

5. Mikel Oyarzabal

A wildcard entry, the Real Sociedad youngster has really shown his talent since breaking onto the scene at the Anoeta last year. Built very much in the modern style of player in Spain, with an immaculate touch and superb technique, Oyarzabal differs by standing taller than those he can be compared to at 5’11.

Options in the central attacking areas are, as already covered, hardly in short supply, but perhaps the 19-year-old could offer something different, operating in a more advanced role than Iniesta, who looks to be on the sidelines quite some time, and Rakitic for example.

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Six goals in 29 games for La Real since making his debut in 2016 has alerted a lot of people, most notably former Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque, who gave him his full international debut before Euro 2016 in May. That was despite only making two appearances for the under 18s and four for the under 19s.

It is highly unlikely that Real Sociedad will sell their starlet, certainly not in January, while Barcelona may not cast their eye over him due to heavy competition. It would be foolish to ignore his progress completely, though.