Barcelona are having a troublesome season this time around and find themselves six points behind Real Madrid in the La Liga already. Luis Enrique is feeling the pressure and is finding it hard to get the best out of his star-studded XI. The Blaugrana somehow snatched a point against Real Sociedad last weekend but the Catalan giants were the second best among the two sides for major parts of the game.
A position where Barcelona have struggled this whole season is at right-back. Metro claims that Barcelona have identified Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic as the solution to their woes at right-back. The Serb is finding himself out of favour at Stamford Bridge and is out of contract next summer. Barcelona could land him on a bargain and that is why he has surfaced as a priority target.
Since Dani Alves left in the summer for Juventus, Barcelona have struggled to find a worthy successor for the Brazilian. Sergi Roberto has tried his best to fill in at the right-back position but he is not a natural full-back and that has become evident of late. The Spaniard has made some high-profile errors which have cost his side dearly and Barcelona looking for a natural right-back is not at all surprising.
On the other hand, Aleix Vidal is totally out of favour under Enrique and could be on his way out in January. Ivanovic is now 32 and is clearly past his peak. Barcelona registering their interest in the Serb is, therefore, a bit surprising to be fair. However, with his immense experience and versatility and due to the fact that he will not cost a fortune, he could be a smart piece of addition to Barcelona.
It is a public knowledge that Barcelona are finding it hard to cope up financially and they cannot afford to pay high transfer fees right now. Ivanovic’s contract is up for expiry at the end of the season and there is a very little chance that either him or Chelsea will want to extend it. So, he could be available on a bargain which decreases the risk factor of this deal.
Ivanovic’s form has taken a big dip since the last season but he is still a big attacking threat from down the right flank. In Barcelona’s system, the full-backs offer the width on either end of the pitch. Ivanovic might not be the fastest of players but his crossing is deadly.
He can also play as a centre-back when the team needs him to and the versatility could be of use to the Blaugrana. It’s a deal that’ll raise some eyebrows, but could well turn out to be a shrewd one.
