Barcelona president Joan Laporta made it clear in an interview this week that the club will look to sign a new midfielder in January to replace Gavi.
The president confirmed that the Catalans will be looking for a short-term loan deal, much like they had done with a certain Edgar Davids in the past.
As things stand, the La Liga champions are working to sign Vitor Roque through the Barça Studios lever and use Gavi’s long-term absence to sign a midfielder.
Deco looking for two key qualities
Building on that, SPORT is now reporting that Barcelona director Deco is looking for two key aspects in a player for the club to sign in the January transfer window.
The sporting department and the coaching staff have been discussing the possible options to be targeted in case there is a margin to sign a new midfielder in January.
The report states that Deco is keen on signing a midfielder who is physically intense and has plenty of experience under his belt – and it appears that Barça plan on going the down that path.
As has been confirmed by Laporta, Barcelona will only look to sign someone on a short-term six-month loan deal.
Not easy
The report further states that Barcelona are aware that it will not be easy to find a profile that adapts to the club’s game but there are some options on the table.
It is further suggested that Barça are clearly looking to the Premier League, where there could be some very interesting departures in the coming weeks.
In England, there are few clubs with oversized squads who are going to release some of their weight with Barça well positioned in those cases.
Names such as Thomas Partey (Arsenal) and Andrey Santos (Chelsea, on loan at Nottingham Forest) are being talked about as possible options, although nothing is clear at this point.
