In a recent report, Le10Sport stated that Barcelona are showing interest in signing LOSC Lille midfielder Renato Sanches this summer. It is believed that the Catalan outfit have ‘a real desire’ to secure the signature of the Portuguese midfield ace during this summer transfer window (via Le10Sport).
Sanches’ Excellent Campaign At Stade Pierre Mauroy
Sanches experienced a successful season with Lille in French football as he produced a number of impressive displays to help his team win the Ligue 1 title. However, the Portugal international was sidelined for a lot of matches after sustaining multiple injuries throughout the course of the previous campaign.
The 23-year-old found the back of the net once and secured four assists in 29 matches for the French outfit last season in multiple competitions. He was an all-around contributor at the centre of the park after he averaged 0.6 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 0.9 shots, 0.8 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Ligue 1. Sanches was even excellent when distributing possession from midfield as he made 85.8% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
The Lisboa-born talent is maturing into a top talent and even managed to catch the eye with his performances for Portugal in the UEFA European Championships recently. Hence, Barca’s interest in him is justified as he will be an excellent addition to Ronald Koeman’s midfield department this summer.
What Will The Portugal International Bring To The Nou Camp?
Sanches is a hard-working midfield ace who can pull off a few powerful runs with the ball in the opponent’s half. He can shoot the ball with a lot of venom and precision from long range but needs to be more decisive in the final third.
The 30-time Portugal international is a tidy passer of the ball and has got a great leap in him that helps win his fair share of aerial duels for his team. At 23, he is only going to get better with each season, so Koeman would be wise to engineer a move to lure him to the Nou Camp this summer.
We can expect Sanches to bring a lot of quality to Barca’s dressing room as he has what it takes to rival Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets and Riqui Puig for a place in Koeman’s starting XI next season. Plus, he could serve as an upgrade over Miralem Pjanic, who has flattered to deceive during his time in Spain thus far. With all things considered, the Catalans should think about raising funds to bring Sanches to the Nou Camp ahead of the new campaign as he has the potential to become a future star in European football.
