Barcelona’s lack of finances means they are always going to struggle in the transfer market, so it makes sense to go to a friendly club who might be prepared to cut them a little slack.
Sergino Dest was the latest player to make the move between Ajax and Barcelona in the summer and he certainly looks promising, so a report from Sport has indicated that Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez has emerged as a serious target.
There’s no doubt that Koeman would prefer to sign Eric Garcia from Man City, but that one may need to wait until his contract expires in the summer as City are demanding a big fee.
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It’s suggested that they like Martinez because he’s a young player who’s already proven himself in the Champions League, while his ability to cover at left back and in midfield as well as playing centre-back is seen as a big plus too.
The added bonus would come if Ajax would allow Barca to take him on loan with an option to buy in the summer, but it’s not clear if the Dutch side would be happy with that just now.
Barca have a lot of injuries in defence just now so they need to sign someone, but with such limited finances it means they will need to take a chance on someone like Martinez who isn’t proven in one of the big leagues.
I hope that Koeman will be landed in January after the tactical disaster generated at Barcelona!
Expending money in a central defender in January is really necessary! My suggestion is
Perr Schuurs from Ajax! This kid looks like the indigo copy of Matthijs de Ligt! As for Garcia, he
must be signed in the summer as a free agent!
He can’t be a ‘free agent’ as he is under 24 he must be paid for now if City and Barca cannot agree it will go to tribunal, I see Barca having to pay the £20m more or less they have refused to up to now as he is a full Spanish international and before refusal to re=sign was in the first team regular
This law is active in the Premier League in order to protect small clubs! This is not the case with Man City, which is not the club who formed Eric Garcia! I don’t think the sheikhs will compromise themselves by going to court, but rather they will try to persuade the Spaniard to renew his contract. If they fail, Man City will release his contract!