The injury to Luis Suarez has left Barcelona with an interesting decision to make in this window. It’s clear they could do with someone else up front, but replacing him could be done in different ways.
He turns 33 today so you have to think they would’ve been looking for a long term successor soon, but those plans might need to be accelerated after The Independent indicated he could be out for up to four months.
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It’s rare for big transfers to happen in January, so signing the long term answer this month does look unlikely. Barca would probably have to pay more than they want to and teams will always be reluctant to let a big star go halfway through the season.
That suggests that a stop-gap option is more likely, so realistically that means a veteran player or somebody who is out of favour at their current club.
Olivier Giroud fits into both of those descriptions, and a report from Sport via Football-Espana has suggested the Catalan side might look to sign the Chelsea man this month.
They indicate that he’s not seen as a regular option for Chelsea right now so a loan move with no option to buy seems like the most likely option.
That could suggest that Barca might move for a long term solution in the Summer, but this move would give them an experienced striker who needs minutes ahead of Euro 2020.
If Chelsea decide they don’t want to keep him, then this could make sense for everyone involved.