With a lot of money to splash in the transfer market, the Catalans are planning a number of big money acquisitions in the upcoming days. The Spanish giants encountered a pretty torrid season as they lost the race in the La Liga to arch rivals Real Madrid on the penultimate day.
The Catalans have been a late entrant in the transfer market and so far have had only one major acquisition in Nelson Semedo. But newly appointed manager Ernesto Valverde is expected to make a few more signings.
Neymar’s departure has paved the way for a number of players and according to reports, the Catalans are planning a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli.
They received a large pot of cash to the tune of £198m and have a number of players on their shopping list with Alli being one of them. The English midfielder has been one of the notable performers for Spurs last season and a number of clubs are believed to be in a tug of war regarding his transfer.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is known to be a very tough negotiator when it comes to transfer dealings and Barcelona need to outbid everyone to secure the services of the midfielder. Andres Iniesta is in the twilight of his career and Alli could be his direct replacement.
Despite his performance, Alli is not amongst the highest paid players in the Premier League and here lies the main problem. Levy has a strict wage discipline implied at the club and Barcelona could cash in on this opportunity to hijack a move for the player.
The Spanish giants could afford his wage demand and he can easily earn a place in the starting lineup. But Mauricio Pochettino is unwilling to let go of another player after the departure of Kyle Walker to Manchester City recently.
Spurs have been pretty quiet in the transfer market despite having been linked with a number of players. Pochettino is pretty happy with the current squad balance but has been looking for some players to address the squad depth issue.
Alli remains a pivotal part of Pochettino’s strategy as the North Londoners would be launching a renewed effort in their quest for the Premier League title. The midfielder scored 18 goals last season and was also crowned the PFA player of the year.
Having failed to lure Phillipe Coutinho till now, Barcelona’s sole interest is now on the English midfielder and they are likely to go to any extent to bring the playmaker to the Camp Nou.
