Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde reportedly feels as though he needs one more signing for a key area of his squad before Friday’s transfer deadline.
The Catalan giants have already been busy in the transfer market this summer, signing Clement Lenglet, Arthur, Malcom and Arturo Vidal while Andres Iniesta and Paulinho have left.
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With that in mind, there has already been a reshuffle in midfield, and coupled with the ongoing presence of Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, the Spanish tactician appears to be set in that department given he can also currently still call upon Rafinha and Denis Suarez.
However, according to Sport, he still wants a player capable of playing on the right of his midfield three as an alternative to Rakitic, as perhaps he expects exits or doesn’t believe the options currently at his disposal can give him what he wants in that specific role.
In turn, it’s suggested that Barcelona will continue to pursue a midfielder before Friday’s deadline, although it won’t necessarily be a marquee name with the likes of Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot and Frenkie de Jong specifically mentioned in the report as targets for next year.
Nevertheless, should a new signing fail to arrive, it’s also suggested that Sergi Roberto could emerge as an in-house solution and play there to rotate and rest Rakitic when necessary.
Having secured a domestic double in his first season in charge last year, Valverde will hope to build on that success while also conquering the Champions League too this time round.
In order to do that, he has to have quality and depth right across his squad. Based on this report, he doesn’t believe he has that in midfield entirely, and so time will tell if the club can deliver a new signing to address the issue in the next 48 hours or so.