After a terrific win against Real Madrid in their pre-season clash, Barcelona have taken another step closer to identifying their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the new season.
According to new reports from SPORT, the club will look to emphasise the signing of a right-back as the main priority, followed by the arrival of an attacking midfielder later on in the window.
Ivan Fresneda for the right-back position
The Real Valladolid full-back has been constantly linked to a Barcelona arrival since the beginning of the window, as the club staff are really impressed by his technical ability.
The report states that Barcelona will look to incorporate Fresneda as soon as possible, given that they do not believe Sergino Dest or Sergi Roberto are at the level required to feature regularly as the first-choice right-back.
The young Spaniard has a release clause of 20 million euros, but Barcelona are trying to lower the price tag in order to make the operation slightly more viable. It also seems as though Fresneda has been keen on a move to Barcelona, which could speed the process up.
Potential attacking midfielder options
While this is reportedly a concern for later in August, here are a few options Barcelona could explore to reinforce the midfield.
Ideally, the exciting talent of Fermin Lopez may now step in as another La Masia gem that can strengthen the team without having to spend.
Bernardo Silva
While he is the unlikeliest of the signings, Bernardo would be the highest-quality reinforcement Barcelona could dream of. However, it will all hinge on whether the club can finalise a few departures and the planned cash injections go through before they can even think of signing the Manchester City man.
Alberto Moleiro
The 19-year-old from Las Palmas has been turning heads with his performances in the Segunda, and could be a fantastic, relatively reasonable option for the Catalans to bring in as an attacking midfielder.
He has been linked with Barcelona in the past, and an operation to bring him in could cost somewhere between 25-30 million euros.
Raphael Veiga
A slightly older option, the Palmeiras midfielder had been linked with a move to the Blaugrana and could be a low-cost alternative for the club as well, valued at around 15 million euros.
Veiga has been a key part of the team in an era of wonderful success for Palmeiras, bringing a bundle of creativity to the middle of the pitch to facilitate ball progression.
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