French midfielder Marco Verratti has rubbished reports that he is angling for a move to Barcelona. The PSG playmaker believes he is happy at France and this is what he had to say about his rumoured move to the Catalan club.
“I’ve read that Raiola has offered me to Barcelona. That’s a lie,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’ve spoken to my managers and they know what I think, things are clear. I’ve decided to stay with PSG.”
With a move for Verratti all but ruled out, Barcelona will need to think of other alternatives to consider. Here are 3 players Barcelona can look at to fill up their midfield.
Julian Weigl
The young German is highly talented and was named the youngest ever captain of his previous club 1860 Munich at the age of 18. He is good on the ball, has a way past defenders, well-disciplined and knows his game and limitations inside out. However, at the age of 22, what is perhaps most impressive about him is his ability to stick to the tactical game plan word to word and carry out instructions by the letter.
If Weigl were to move, he would form a part of a three-man midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Phil Coutinho. While Busquets will be tasked with holding and shielding his defence, Weigl’s ability to spread the game would free up Barcelona’s attack to create mayhem in the final third for the opposition.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
The 22-year old Serbian midfielder currently plays for Lazio. The central midfielder is an action-packed player and has a tenacious engine to keep playing 90 minutes day in day out. His added quality of having a keen eye for goal is however what sets him apart for someone his age. With years of peak football ahead of him; it is no secret why the big clubs would want to add him. Since his move to Lazio in the summer of 2015, Savic has made over 100 appearances for the club scoring around 20 goals and creating another 20. He will no doubt add many more as he continues to develop and Barcelona could do with a player like him.
Jean Michael Seri
The player in question here is Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri. He had been previously linked to Barcelona but a move never transpired. The Ivory Coast midfielder is a star player at the French club and has played over a 100 games since his move back in 2015. A player with a battery to run for 90 minutes he would certainly shape the Barcelona midfield for years to come.
