Barcelona might be closing in on a domestic double, but the nightmare at Anfield in the Champions League semifinal highlighted several flaws and shortcomings within the current setup. The money spent on Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele has gone down the drain, and the club must find a way out to ease the pressure of Lionel Messi before it gets too late.
According to Diario GOL, the Catalans are aiming yet another high-profile swoop this summer and have entered the race to wrap up Kylian Mbappe in a potential £140m plus two players offer. They want to avoid the backlash Real Madrid are encountering following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure and intends to promote the 20-year-old as Messi’s successor when the iconic Argentine inevitably starts fading off.
The Paris St-Germain sensation fueled the speculations regarding a summer switch while speaking to the press after winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award last week (as quoted by the Daily Star).
“I have discovered a lot here, and I feel it is perhaps the moment to have more responsibility. I hope that can maybe be at Paris St Germain, that would be a great pleasure. Or perhaps elsewhere with a new project.”
Barca have already tied down Frenkie de Jong and are also in the race to complete mega-money moves for Matthijs de Ligt and Antoine Griezmann. Mbappe, right now, is the hottest prospect of world football and the Cules must come up with an engrossing bid to test the Parisiens resolve.
The two names to be proposed in the player plus cash deal are believed to be Ivan Rakitic and Philippe Coutinho. The arrival of De Jong, as well as the emergence of Arthur Melo, Carles Alena and teenager Riqui Puig, might jeopardise Rakitic’s first-team future in the upcoming term. A fresh start elsewhere would be worthwhile for all parties involved including PSG who are set to lose Adrien Rabiot as the midfield star opted not to extend his contract beyond this campaign.
Coutinho, on the other hand, has failed miserably to settle in since parting ways with Liverpool to join Blaugrana. The Brazilian needs to move on as well to resurrect his career and the widely known friendship with Neymar would make it easy for president Nasser Al Khelaïfi to retain the Selecao sensation in the French capital.
