Various reports have suggested that Juventus right back Stephan Lichtsteiner has been heavily linked with Barcelona once again with the January transfer window set to reopen after a month and a half. The 32-year-old Swiss defender has lost his place in the starting lineup and is considering a move out of the Italian club.
Given the plethora of defending options on the bench that Juventus possess, it is not a surprise. The Italian giants have 10 defenders in their squad overall. Considering the fact that Juve boss Allegri likes to play with 3 at the back, it is quite frustrating for the other defenders to start on the bench.
After the arrival of Dani Alves, Lichtsteiner is no more regular in the squad. Lichtsteiner does not even seem to be a second fiddle to Alves as Juan Cuadrado can play in his spot, which indicates his position only gets more pushed backwards. The Swiss was not included in the Champions League squad and although he is a regular in Serie A as part of the rotation, he would surely want more. He has played only 6 games for Juventus in which he has 1 goal and 1 assist.
A link with Barcelona seems only obvious as the Catalans have many of their first team defenders out with injuries. Barca’s right back is heavily under crisis. With Aleix Vidal out with injury, Luis Enrique only has Sergi Roberto to play in that position. If Roberto suffers an injury, then Barcelona’s makeshift defence is sure to crumble. Lichtsteiner could a very helpful option given his experience. He could also help Roberto play up in the midfield as Barcelona also has Andres Iniesta out with an injury.
And with the Swiss’ contract running out soon, Barcelona will look to acquire the defender for a good price. Juventus are also keeping tabs on that and if such situations arise, they would like to make the best out of it. Juventus are also keeping tabs on Milan’s Mattia De Sciglio and they are likely to complete this deal before the disposal of Lichtsteiner.
Barcelona are currently without Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti, Jeremy Mathieu and Aleix Vidal in the back line and they have El Clasico coming up next month. They are in desperate need to acquire options on that front before moving to the second half of the season continuing. Their easier fixtures have helped them to scrap through till now, but it is becoming difficult now.
