Everton midfielder tops Barcelona wishlist, La Liga pivot plan B | OneFootball

Photo Courtesy: The Official website of FC Barcelona

In the upcoming summer transfer window, the highest priority of FC Barcelona will be signing a midfield pivot. This has been one of the clearest areas of weakness in the Catalan team, as Oriol Romeu was unable to play up to the required standards after his signing following Busquets’ departure.

For this purpose, several players have been linked with the Blaugranes over the last few months, including the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Martin Zubimendi, Mats Wieffer, Guido Rodriguez, Amadou Onana, and Mikel Merino, etc.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Amadou Onana is the one from this list of players who is liked the most by the Barcelona sporting department, especially as he can provide a lot of muscle and power in the midfield.

In addition to his power and physicality, Onona has also been impressive with his ball handling and his prowess in the air. However, Barcelona will face competition from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, like Manchester United and Bayern Munich, and signing him will not be easy in any way.

In such a context, the Catalans are keeping their eyes on the Real Sociedad midfielder, Mikel Merino, as a second option if they are unable to sign the Everton star. Merino is not a natural midfield pivot, but as Hansi Flick plays with two midfielders ahead of the defense, he can thrive in such a setup at Barcelona.

The Blaugranes’ FFP position in the coming weeks and months will determine which of these two players they sign this summer. If they are able to sell several players and have a large salary margin, they will make a move for Onana, on the other hand, if there is not enough salary margin, Merino’s chances of ending at the Catalan club will rise.

The Spaniard has a release clause of €65 million, but as his contract with Real Sociedad is ending next year, La Reale cannot demand such a high amount of money for him as they can lose him for free in 12 months. Thus, Barcelona can expect to sign Merino on a discount this summer.

Another target for this position, Joshua Kimmich, also has his contract expiring next summer, but the Catalans’ interest in him has cooled to a significant degree in the last few days.