November 30, (THEWILL) – La Liga top side Barcelona is frantically digging into the possibility of bringing in players from Manchester City to join them in the most herculean effort to recover their identity.
The initial interest in the duo of Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, now includes Ferran Torres as the young talent becomes the third City player to be linked with a move to the Spanish club. All three claims have some credibility and it will be interesting to see how Barca matches ambition with reality in 2022.
However, officials at the Etihad are increasingly baffled as to why Barcelona is scouting their squad players at a time when the financial position of the Catalan outfit does not appear to afford them the quality to make a significant offer for any of them at the moment.
However, there is a desire to use Xavi Hernandez’s appointment to reintroduce the old Barca style of play, and insiders in Spain say they are looking to the blue half of Manchester for players who match the bill, but who might be looking for opportunities outside City.
The style under Guardiola, a former Barcelona player and manager himself, means that every member of the squad has been thoroughly schooled in a philosophy of football that stems from Guardiola’s Catalan heritage.
Yet, even if the financials can be worked out, signing players from City will be difficult, since the club rarely sells players unless it is absolutely necessary.
Sterling is interested in playing in La Liga, and Pep Guardiola has already stated that Bernardo was looking for a move away from the club.
Barca is starting to look at their constraints financially but also seeking how they may open up the transfer market in January to bring in fresh choices. It is uncertain how much they will have to spend and the question of how they can fulfil big salary demands remains a stumbling block.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
