Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has reportedly requested five signings for his club to target in this summer’s transfer window after their humiliating Champions League exit to Roma last night.
The Catalan giants had a 4-1 lead from the first leg of their quarter-final clash, but ended up throwing it away by losing 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in a memorable encounter last night.
It certainly looks like time for reflection at Barca, with changes needed as this squad has gone somewhat stale and greatly under-achieved in Europe in the last couple of seasons.
According to Don Balon, Pique is urging his side to bring in some big names this summer, including a raid on Chelsea for left wing-back Marcos Alonso.
The Spain international has shone in his time at Stamford Bridge but it would not be a big surprise to see some of the club’s stars move on this summer as the Blues look certain to miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Pique clearly hopes Alonso could be lured to Barcelona as an upgrade on Jordi Alba, and other big names on his list include Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann and Ajax wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt.