Barcelona should end their interest in Juventus attacker
Barcelona need to add some new blood to their attack this summer, but acquiring Douglas Costa from Juventus is not the answer to the squad’s issues.
As usual, Barcelona and Real Madrid are locked in a dog fight for the La Liga title. That isn’t stopping Lionel Messi‘s squad from looking ahead to the summer transfer window. One option available to the Spanish giants is a swap deal that would bring Juventus attacker Douglas Costa to town.
According to Tranfermarketweb, the basis of the deal would be a swap of Costa for Ivan Rakitic. The Croatian midfielder is falling out of favour with Barcelona, but he could slot right into Juventus’ starting XI. The Old Lady still value Costa, but they believe finding a replacement for him on the wing would be easier than purchasing a midfield playmaker of Rakitic’s quality.
It’s easy to understand why the idea of Costa would appeal to Barcelona officials. They could delude themselves into believing he could give them a fair portion of what Neymar did during his time at the club. Both Brazilian attackers thrive in wide areas with their pace and trickery on the ball.
The problem with Costa is that he’s just nowhere near Neymar’s level as a player. They might be sylistically similar, but he’s not a world-class star by any stretch of the imaginatoin. Throw in the fact that Costa is nearing 30 years of age and it’s easy to understand why Barcelona officials should look elsewhere for help on the wing.
Flipping Rakitic for Costa would also be a poor use of resources. Rakitic is going to draw a ton of interest all over Europe this summer if he’s made available. Barcelona would be smart to wait and see what other offers they might receive for his services. They aren’t going to get a world-class star in any swap deal, but they should be able to secure a superior player than Costa.
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Patience will be required for Barcelona in this summer’s transfer window. Bringing in Douglas Costa isn’t going to be enough to give the club a meaningful edge over Real Madrid next season. It’s time the club look elsewhere for superior attacking options.