Having already signed Dani Alves on a one-season contract in November, the Catalans are now looking to bring Alexis Sanchez and Marc Bartra back to the club. The pair played with head coach Xavi Hernandez during different – and often the same – periods of time.
The Catalans are looking to replace newly retired Sergio Aguero with former player Alexis Sanchez, as per Goal. The Chilean played for the Blaugrana between 2011 and 2014 before earning a 42.5 million euros move to Premier League side Arsenal. The attacker is currently on the books of Inter Milan, having moved there permanently from United in 2020.
While Manchester City star Ferran Torres remains Barcelona’s first-choice candidate to bolster their attack, the Chilean is nonetheless a January target. Should a move for Torres collapse, the Spanish giants will turn their attention towards the Internazionale star, who they will look to acquire in a swap deal by offering Luuk De Jong to the Nerazzurri. However, to complete the proposed deal, Barcelona will be required to buy De Jong outright from Sevilla as the forward is currently at Camp Nou as part of a year-long loan deal.
As per SPORT, the Barcelona are also keen on their former cenre-back Marc Bartra, who currently plays for Real Betis. The Spaniard came through La Masia and represented the Barcelona first team over a hundred times. The report indicates initial contacts have already taken place between the club and the player’s representatives. Furthermore, the 30-year-old has a year remaining in his Betis contract, which could make him affordable for the Catalan club amid their continuous financial struggle.
Bartra left his boyhood club in search of playing opportunities and joined Borussia Dortmund in 2016. A year-and-a-half later, the defender returned to Spain to sign for Betis on a five-and-a-half-year contract. Since then, he has been a key figure in the Betis defence and has helped the side qualify for European football for two seasons. He has made over a hundred appearances for the Andalusian side and scored five times.
