It’s January, and for Barcelona that means delving into the transfer market to bring in a weird new striker. It’s tradition.
Barcelona love to keep their eyebrows raised with their transfer company. Martin Braithwaite and Kevin Prince-Boateng were the last two emergency attackers, and manager Ronald Koeman has made it clear that he wants Barca to look for someone new again.
Let’s take a look at who it might go to.
An obvious place to start.
Koeman wants to sign Lyon hitman Memphis Depay, who only has six months left on his contract and is expected to leave for free at the end of the season. It makes sense to start with him.
He’s one of the top scorers in Ligue 1 this season and has led Lyon to the top of the table, but for the right price the French side might be tempted to sell.
Valencia is in free fall. They are flirting with relegation and could be forced to sell some players in January to balance the books, and Barcelona could look to profit from it.
Among Valencia’s most valuable assets is striker Maxi Gomez, who has a good reputation scoring goals in the Spanish top flight – something Barcelona generally wish their emergency recruits had.
The 24-year-old might be a bit pricey, but he would provide much-needed coverage for at least a few years.
Sticking to the bottom of La Liga, Barcelona could go back to their old ways and leave the poorest side in the league stranded without their top scorer.
Huesca looks in trouble this season. Loanee Rafa Mir is doing their best to keep them afloat, but Barcelona will be licking their lips at the prospect of signing the Wolves man and leaving Huesca to drown.
Do wolves want to sell? Probably not. Can Barcelona’s desire to kill all other teams be stopped? Absolutely not.
One of the most famous strikers in Premier League history, Steven Caulker could solve more than a few problems for Barcelona.
The 29-year-old Alanyaspor forward has managed two goals and an assist this season, so he could help in attack, but perhaps more importantly, he could substitute at the back if necessary.
During his time at Liverpool, we saw Caulker perfectly out of position at center-back on his debut against Arsenal. That’s how the story turned out, right?
Instead of wasting everyone’s time signing an obscure striker, why not do everything possible and prepare for the future for once?
PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen is just waiting for his big move, and Barcelona are known to be fans of the 21-year-old’s performances in the Eredivisie.
If Barca sign Malen now, they will be sorted to striker for the next decade. The right decision is not always approved in the Camp Nou conference room, but may be It’s time.
Have you seen this guy? Luis Suarez, I think he’s called. He scores goals for fun with Atletico Madrid.
If you want a striker with La Liga experience this is the best bet. He has managed over 150 goals in the competition throughout his career, most of which have come for… oh.
Girona striker Cristhian Stuani is usually on Barcelona’s radar this time of year.
He’s scored 40 goals in his last two seasons in La Liga so he knows how to get the job done in Spain, but he’s also very cheap as he’s 34 and now plays in the second tier.
Stuani is the ideal signing in the near term, so don’t be surprised to see links with Uruguay’s international return.
Arsenal flop Lucas Perez has done a good job rebuilding his career in Spain.
He scored 11 goals last season for Alaves and brought solid form to the current campaign, so he’s still good enough to do some form of work at Camp Nou.
Perez struggled at West Ham just two years ago, but he’s the kind of forward Barcelona love to sign.
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