Barcelona are reportedly now setting their sights on Matthijs de Ligt and Luka Jovic as their two marquee signings this summer.
As noted by BBC Sport, the Catalan giants already have a deal in place to sign Frenkie de Jong for €75m+ this summer, which offers a long-term solution in midfield.
SEE MORE: Video: Frenkie de Jong prepares for life at Barcelona by sending a Real Madrid player spinning again
According to Mundo Deportivo, they will also address the need for youth and quality depth in defence and attack this summer too, with De Ligt and Jovic being targeted as it’s claimed they hope to make progress in those two respective pursuits this week.
Importantly, it’s added that the Dutch centre-half could cost them around €75m+ too, similar to teammate and compatriot De Jong, while Jovic is being valued at €60m with Eintracht Frankfurt ready to sell him on at a profit after exercising their clause to buy him outright from Benfica this summer.
That is undoubtedly a lot of money to be spending in one transfer window, especially for a European giant who look on course to win yet another league title and remain in the hunt for the Copa del Rey and Champions League.
That would suggest that coach Ernesto Valverde has great quality at his disposal already and has found a winning balance in the squad.
Nevertheless, with stalwarts such as Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez on the wrong side of 30, long-term replacements will be needed and they appear to be putting together a brilliantly sensible strategy now while they still have plenty left to offer.
De Ligt has already made 104 appearances for Ajax despite still only being 19 years of age, while he also has 15 caps for the Netherlands to his name.
As for Jovic, the 21-year-old has bagged 22 goals and seven assists in 36 appearances so far this season, and so coupled with the technical quality that the pair have displayed, they seem like smart additions who are certainly capable of fitting in perfectly at Barcelona.
