Barcelona have lined up a shock replacement for Andres Iniesta with the Spanish legend set to depart the Nou Camp at the end of the current season.
Barcelona are eyeing former Liverpool star and current Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto as a shock replacement for Andres Iniesta.
The Italian outlet CalcioMercato have cited a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport that states that La Blaugrana have already noted Alberto as a key and potential replacement for club captain Iniesta who announced on Friday that he will be leaving the club. The report suggests that the Brazilian could be prized away from his current Italian side for a modest €40m.
Despite fine form for Lazio this season in which the Serie A side have managed to mount a charge for the top four, Alberto is still seen as a shock replacement who lacks a substantial amount of the pedigree that you would expect from an Iniesta replacement.
The Spaniard played for Premier League side Liverpool between 2013-2016 but struggled to make an impression under Brendan Rodgers. The attacking midfielder was instead shipped out on loan on two occasions to both Malaga and Deportivo.
Iniesta has established himself in the last month as the most decorated Spanish player with an extraordinary 31 titles for Barcelona and has quite possibly set an impossible benchmark for any replacement to match.