da bwin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da lvbet： Barcelona are bound to have another busy transfer window ahead of them as according to Sport’s recent reports, the Catalans have once again set their sights on Borussia Dortmund’s midfielder, Julian Weigl.
But this is nothing particularly new, as the same source claims, since the Blaugrana have been admirers of the 24-year-old for quite a while now, seeing how they chased him for the first time three years ago.
And now, with both Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal potentially leaving the club in the upcoming January window, there might be an opening in the middle of the park that would need filling.
Weigl, who has been dubbed “the new Sergio Busquets”, could do that job.
With 16 games across all competitions to his name already, he is an important piece of Borussia Dortmund’s puzzle and his skill and technique are what Barcelona value very much.
So far in the 2019/20, he has averaged 91.9% passing accuracy, 1.5 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per game and has only been dribbled past 0.6 times per game as well.
With just 24 years on his back, he looks like a decent bet for the future and someone who could make Barcelona forget about the possible departures of both Rakitic and Vidal.
And then, further down the line, he could potentially take over the mantle from Busquets.
But how exactly does that help Manchester United?
The Red Devils have reportedly been after Vidal and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seems to like the 32-year-old Chilean. After all, what is there not to like?
He has been described as a “special player” who gives that unique aspect to any team while he is also a proven and experienced winner.
Barcelona surely won’t be looking to add more midfielders into their squad if some were not potentially on their way out. For that reason, landing Weigl could actually benefit Solskjaer in his chase.
It could, potentially, make the Catalans more lenient in their approach and the chances of Manchester United signing their target could go up.
Of course, since Vidal himself has stated that he needs to be an important part of the team if he’s to stay at Barcelona, and seeing how he’s mostly been a backup plan with three starts in 13 La Liga games, the Red Devils might have a real chance if they go for it.
He told TV3 (quoted by Daily Mail):
“A lot of games have gone by where I haven’t played and this makes me sad. You have to be objective and live from day to day. If, by December or when the season finishes, I don’t feel important, I will have to make a decision and look for another place to go and be important.”
A lot of it, however, might depend on Blaugrana first securing that deal with Borussia Dortmund.
Elsewhere, Roma could patch up a sore area of their squad by hijacking Chelsea’s target…