Barcelona scouting midfield trio ahead of potential summer move
By Tushar Bahl
Barcelona scouted Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot and Frenkie de Jong in the UEFA Champions League this week, according to reports in Spain.
The defending La Liga champions wanted to bolster their midfield this summer with three targets on their shortlist. While they were unable to sign them this summer, Barcelona are already preparing for next summer by scouting the trio. According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona scouts watched Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot and Frenkie de Jong in their respective Champions League matches earlier this week.
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Paul Pogba starred for Manchester United in their 3-0 win against BSC Young Boys, scoring twice and assisting the third goal for Anthony Martial. Barcelona are long term admirers of the Frenchman, and rumors continue to swirl about Pogba’s desire to leave Manchester United. A potential transfer would cost the Catalan giants a fee of over 100 million euros if United agree to sell their prized asset. Pogba, who helped France win the World Cup this summer, has just under three years remaining on his contract with Manchester United.
If Barcelona fail to sign Pogba, they could turn their attentions to Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong or PSG’s Adrien Rabiot. De Jong is considered to be one of the brightest midfield talents in Europe and is wanted by a number of top European clubs, including Manchester United and Tottenham. The 21 year old played as a centre back in Ajax’s 3-0 win over AEK Athens on Wednesday and would cost Barcelona upwards of 50 million euros.
Adrien Rabiot would be the cheaper alternative, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. The 23 year old looks set to leave PSG on a free transfer next season and several other clubs including Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in signing him. Rabiot played 90 minutes in midfield for PSG in their 3-2 defeat to Liverpool earlier this week.
Ajax playing hardball with Tottenham and Barcelona. dark. Next
All three midfielders are extremely talented but they are all different types of players. Pogba is more of a box to box midfielder, while de Jong prefers to play in a defensive role and Rabiot is a midfield enforcer. So it will be interesting to see which player is on top of Barcelona’s list.