Football Weeks understands Barcelona glory days could be back at the Camp Nou, with the signing of Marco Verrati and Hector Bellerin this summer.
Barcelona crashed out of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night as they lost 3-0 on aggregate to Serie A champions Juventus in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The Spanish giants were fortunate to have made this far in the contest, after having overcome a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the Round-of-1 stage to defeat the French giants 6-5 on aggregate.
Barcelona have had a fairly poor season by their standards so far, despite having made it to the Copa Del Rey finals and sitting 2nd in the La Liga table. The performances have been largely underwhelming. The tactics have looked suspect from manager Luis Enrique, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season.
Barcelona have had a fairly poor season by their standards so far, despite having made it to the Copa Del Rey finals and sitting 2nd in the La Liga table. However, Barca invested heavily last summer, bringing in the likes of Andre Gomes, Denis Suarez, Paco Alcacer, Lucas Digne and Samuel Umtiti. But apart from Umiti, the rest of the new signings have been poor, shedding bad light on Enrique’s transfer policy.
It remains to be seen as to who will continue as Barca manager for the next season, but the club will have to do extremely well in the transfer market if they are to have a better season. To that end, Hector Bellerin and Marco Verratti can help Barcelona perform better in the Champions League next season:
Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, the Italian international has developed into one of the best central midfielders in the game with French giants Paris Saint-Germain. However, he would not come for a cheap price as he is valued at around £60million.
Playing for PSG nearly five years ago after his move from Pescara, Verratti has already played almost 200 games for the club to become a key figure at the Parc des Princes. He has been one of the best players for the French giants this season, which has been marred by inconsistencies under new boss Unai Emery.
The Blaugrana interest in the Italian is well documented. They see him as the long-term replacement for club icon Andres Iniesta who is now in his 30’s and judging by his displays, Iniesta looks to be getting close to the end of successful career. The signing of Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez as an upgrade has been a total waste of resources.
Verratti is tied with PSG till the summer of 2021, but Barca believe that they have that they have the resources to complete a move in the summer and if it so happens that the 24-year-old joins Barcelona, glory days could be back at the Camp Nou, sooner than later.
Hector Bellerin
Another player who has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona this season, Hector Bellerin has developed into one of the best right-back in the game with Arsenal. Luis Enrique chose not to invest in a right-sided defender in the summer, having lost Dani Alves to Juventus.
They were just left with the service of Aleix Vidal as the only right-back in their ranks, but the Spaniard has been hit with injuries that have kept him out for almost the entire season. This has meant that the Spanish boss has had to use Sergi Roberto as a makeshift option.
Arsenal man Hector Bellerin has long been linked with a move back to the Catalans having come through the famed La Masia before he joined the Gunners. The 22-year old has grown into one of the most promising full-backs in the Premier League. Despite having a slightly under-par season, the Spanish international has shown he has the quality to succeed on the biggest stages.
Arsenal will be in a strong position to negotiate as the player has a lot of years left on the contract. But with their Champions League chances looking slim and Arsene Wenger’s contract set to expire in the summer, Barcelona may find a way to convince the player over a move.