There are very few things which can match up to the excitement and unpredictability of a well-made suspense thriller. But for the football fans, one of them is certainly the transfer window. The entire duration has it fair share of drama, suspense, let-downs and the nerve-wracking deadline day. With the money been literally tossed around we see a plethora of deals and rumours flying about and we have caught hold of such a rumour from the streets of Spain as they were about to pass Sissoko in the corridor outside the locker room of St James’ Park from where the Frenchman was sneaking his stuff out.
Yes, at a time when Sissoko is desperate to leave Newcastle United, Ayoze Perez has been linked with a shock move to Barcelona. Word is that the Nou Camp outfit are readying a £15m bid for the Spanish striker.
Perez was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Island. He joined Tenerife, making his senior debuts with the B-team in the 2011–12 season, in the fourth division. He appeared with the main squad in the third level in the following campaign, featuring in 16 matches and scoring once as the Blanquiazules returned to division two after a two-year absence. After impressing in the 2013 pre-season, Ayoze played his first professional match on 18 August, starting in a 1–0 away defeat against Alcorcón. He played for the club till 2014 after which he reportedly rejected interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Porto to join Premier League club Newcastle United for an estimated €2 million fee. The deal was confirmed a day later. He made his league debut on 17 August, replacing fellow debutant Emmanuel Rivière in the 83rd minute of a 2–0 home defeat against Manchester City.
The Newcastle star made 34 appearances last term but largely proved to be inconsistent. He scored 6 goals during the entire campaign while providing 2 assists. But Barca are supposedly content with what they have seen. The Nou Camp outfit have recently admitted they are having difficulties signing their desired candidates. With the starting eleven set in stone, players know their roles will be relatively restricted to bench-warming duties. While the lure of the Blaugrana is still intact, promising and upcoming players have become smarter in assessing their career choices. Their chief targets Vietto and Gameiro have thwarted the chance to be back-ups to the famed MSN and have reportedly decided to interchange their clubs!
This has resulted in Barca looking for alternatives and if they decide to move for the player with a sufficient bid, it is expected Perez would lap up the chance of escaping the Championship to be in a team which fights for the treble every season. But he will have to step up his game considerably to fulfil the role Barca would want him to play. While his dribbling and defensive work stood out in the Premier League, one has to be of a different mettle to match up to the playing style the Catalans employ.
