Barcelona won their fifth European Cup with a 3-1 victory over Juventus in Berlin on Saturday night.
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One key feature of the victory was the influence that the signings Barca made during the summer of 2014 came to the fore on the big occasion.
The much-maligned Thomas Vermalen aside, the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez have proved to be inspired additions, while even French defender Jeremy Mathieu played his part as the Catalan giants claimed the continental crown.
However, who can Barca add to their side to ensure that they retain Europe’s grandest prize next term?
The club of course can’t register players this summer, but, as Aleix Vidal demonstrated, they can sign players now in order with a view to integrating them into the squad ahead of January.
In this article, we profile the five players Luis Enrique must sign in the next two transfer windows in order to guarantee they lift the Champions League next year.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba struggled for Juventus against Barcelona on Saturday night, but it’s important to remember that he has only recently returned from injury.
One iffy outing shouldn’t change Barcelona’s very public conviction that the Frenchman would be a superb addition to their midfield.
However, Manchester City are also believed to be keen on the 22-year-old and may look to rival any approach by Barca.
Marco Verratti
According to Sport, Barca are willing to part with €50million in order to secure Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti.
The Italy international is a supremely talented operator and possesses the kind of technical prowess and passing ability to be a worthy successor to Xavi Hernandez.
However, would PSG willingly part with one of their prized assets, particularly to the club they want to usurp as European champions.
Ilkay Gundogan
Deep-lying playmaker Ilkay Gundogan has been rumoured—along with the likes of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels—to be following Jurgen Klopp out of Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Should the midfielder become available, he will have no shortage of suitors, but Barcelona—with their cult of the technically-majestic central midfielder—would represent an appealing destination.
Manchester United are also believed to be keen on the Germany international.
Mateo Kovacic
Barcelona sporting director Ariedo Braida spoke recently about Barcelona’s summer transfer plans and did not deny that the club were considering Inter Milan man Mateo Kovacic.
The Croatian is a versatile midfield operator—capable of featuring ahead of the defence, as a box-to-box operator or as a number 10.
Roberto Mancini may be willing to sell the player in order to raise funds, while the prospect of seeing Kovacic paired with his international teammate Rakitic is mouth-watering.
Sami Khedira
An older, more experienced, and slightly different option to those listed above, Sami Khedira would be a valuable addition for Barcelona.
With Xavi leaving and Dani Alves rumoured to be departing, the side could be losing two of its more experienced heads this summer; could the 29-year-old World Cup winner be a good antidote for these departures?
The German is out of contract at Real Madrid this summer, and Sport have reported that he has been offered to the club’s arch rivals Barcelona.