Barcelona identify 27-year-old La Liga star as ‘priority’ target for midfield | OneFootball

The news of European investors injecting €40 million into Barcelona’s economy comes as a big development, for it finally means that the club will likely return to the 1:1 signing rule this summer.

Indeed, the Blaugrana must still make big sales and be cautious in terms of the salary limit which will be revealed later this week. Yet, it is safe to say that their situation appears more promising than it did in recent months.

Barcelona’s focus, as it stands, is on signing a new defensive midfielder and a left-winger. A recent report from SPORT provides an update on the same.

The priority pivot

As revealed by SPORT, Barcelona are staring at some big operations this summer including loan renewals, sales and new signings.

One of the priority operations on that front, as it stands, is the arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.

The Spanish midfielder has emerged as the ‘priority’ target to reinforce the defensive midfield and Hansi Flick approves of his profile.

Barcelona’s priority for midfield. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)

The German tactician is known to deploy a 4-2-3-1 with a double-pivot and hopes to implement that same formula that won him the sextuple in Germany with Barcelona. Given Oriol Romeu’s more than likely departure, a new signing is thus a must.

Come next season, it could well be Merino who partners Frenkie de Jong or Ilkay Gundogan in the dynamic defensive midfield. Balancing the two partners in terms of defensive solidity and offensive flair will be critical.

A promising contract

Merino’s current contract with Real Sociedad runs out in a year, making him the ideal target for a finance-strapped club like Barcelona.

Joan Laporta and Co. will hope to leverage the chance to run down the player’s contract to work out a favourable deal, but it will not be easy by any means.

The player’s release clause currently stands at €65 million after a recent revision and it is clear that Barcelona cannot afford to shell out such an amount.

The Catalans propose to place an offer worth €30 million, and the negotiations will likely drag through the summer.