FC Barcelona: 5 Big Transfer Rumors Fans Would Love to See Come True This Summer
As much as we may not want to admit, transfer rumors are essential to football.
Unlike other sports where there are trade rumors and so on, football transfer rumors are sagas that captivate not only your team’s club, the rumor reverberates throughout the club's city, country and around the world.
The rumor has fans on pins and needles hoping it comes true.
Sometimes a small rumor trends on twitter or facebook and in 24 hours, it's on BBC, Sky Sports, Bleacher Report, ESPN and Fox Sports. Transfer rumors have also led to club-player relationships falling apart as well.
It's a football soap opera.
FC Barcelona has had an up-and-down season. Many are looking for the club to bring in a few new players this summer to support Lionel Messi, Xavi, and the rest of el blaugrana.
El Mundo Deportivo (Barcelona) reported that FC Barcelona club treasurer and club president Sandro Rosell’s right hand woman, Susana Monje, has confirmed that Barcelona has €50 million to spend for signings this summer.
There are a few players—some more than others—Culés would love to see at the Camp Nou. For many, these players would be a dream come true.
I decided to list the top five transfer rumors Barcelona fans would love to see come true for 2012. These are the five players who have been linked the most with FC Barcelona AND has a realistic chance of happening.
This is not “unrealistic transfers Barça fans wish would happen one day.” That’s something completely different so don’t expect to see ridiculous things like Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney to FC Barcelona.
I’m also not saying that Barça fans dream all of these transfers combined to come true.
To be fair, I tell you some of the pros and cons of Barcelona bringing in the player involved in the transfer rumor. I give my opinion on the rumor but in the end. Some of these rumors have a greater possibility than others but in the end, all of these rumors have a shot of happening.
With that being said, here are the five transfer rumors Barcelona fans would love to see come true in 2012.
Gareth Bale to Barcelona
1 of 6One of the most linked players to FC Barcelona for the past year has been Tottenham Hotspur left winger Gareth Bale.
The Welsh wing back began turning heads after his tremendous play in last year’s UEFA Champions League tournament, along with his play in the EPL.
He was named Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association. Bale is considered a better LB/Left Winger than Barcelona’s other LB transfer target, Jordi Alba.
Bale’s speed, goal-scoring abilities, free kick abilities, and his strength are just some of the reasons fans would love to see Bale in blaugrana.
Gareth Bale is a tremendous player and would be a great addition to any team, but is he really needed right now?
The team needs a CB more than anything else.
Many fans would say getting Bale would work because he would be on the other side of the pitch to compliment RW Dani Alves. This would give the club two wing backs that can score with the best of them but it would also weaken the back line as Barça would be exposed with only two center backs during counter-attacks. Barcelona could make young RB Martin Montoya from the B squad switch over to play LB as well.
Let’s not forget Bale would cost a huge fee.
Gareth would cost Barcelona most of the club’s reported €50 million they have to spend. For the same amount, Barcelona could get Valencia’s Jordi Alba and still have money left over for a much needed young CB. Some fans also think Bale would simply bomb at Barcelona. In the past, some EPL players have had a tough time adjusting to La Liga’s playing pace.
I don’t know if this would happen to a player of Bale’s talents but it’s always possible.
As much as Gareth Bale would be a major help to any club’s back line, he’d essentially wipe out all the transfer funds Barça reportedly has. Then again, there have been reports in the past of Barcelona scouts at Spurs games.
Stranger things have happened in football.
Neymar to Barcelona
2 of 6One player that is continuously being rumored to a move to Spain is Brazilian star Neymar.
He is clearly the best player not playing in Europe, has proven his ability to make clutch goals and has shown he can carry a team to a continental title. While he recently signed an extension with his current club Santos, if Neymar asks to leave, Santos will oblige for the right price.
There have been many rumors that Neymar will sign and play in Spain, but not with FC Barcelona. It has been Barcelona’s arch rival Real Madrid that has been linked more with Neymar. One reason many Culés want to see Neymar signed is because they’d be taking away one of Madrid’s most wanted players.
Many Barcelona fans would love to see Neymar in a blaugrana kit but the cost to bring him in would be tremendous. If Bara has €50 million to spend, expect at minimum €40 million of it to go to Neymar if they go after him.
To me, due to Barcelona’s defensive needs, the only way Neymar comes to the Camp Nou is if Neymar demands a transfer to Barcelona. It would force Santos to negotiate with Barça and eventually make a deal.
In a recent interview with El Mundo Deportivo (Barcelona), Neymar said that his current Brazilian national teammate and former FC Barcelona icon Ronaldinho told him nothing but good things about the blaugrana. Dani Alves has also talked to Neymar to convince him to come to Barcelona.
Will this help persuade Neymar to ask for a transfer to el blaugrana? Who knows.
Could Sandro Rosell decide to make the move?
Of course.
But with the team’s defensive struggles this year and the amount of wingers the team has, Rosell will more than likely use the club’s money to improve the back line.
Jordi Alba to Barcelona
3 of 6One transfer that most Culés would love to see is bringing in former Masia product Jordi Alba back to Catalonia.
Alba was let go from FC Barcelona in 2005. He moved to UE Cornela short after that and in 2007 he was shipped to Valencia. Alba has slowly grown into an outstanding attacking LB—at times midfielder—and has caught the attention of many clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and of course FC Barcelona.
Many Barça fans want to see Alba return to his boyhood club and be the future replacement of Eric Abidal.
Jordi would give el blaugrana two back line threats in Alba and Dani Alves. Alba would not have a difficult time adjusting to Barcelona’s playing style then let’s say Gareth Bale would have if he joined Barça.
Jordi Alba would also come at a cheaper price than Bale.
While there are good benefits to Jordi Alba at the Camp Nou, there are also reasons why he would not be beneficial to bringing him in.
Unlike Gareth Bale, Alba lacks height (5’ 7”), he is not very physically strong which has hurt him at Valencia, and he is still needs to grow as a defender (Alba played more as a midfielder than LB for many years). Barcelona also has Martin Montoya coming up from the B squad and having two defensive attacking wingers could cause problems in counterattacks.
Overall, Jordi Alba’s chances of coming to Barcelona are better than most of the rumors out there.
Personally, I do think he is one of the transfer rumors that have the best chance of coming true because his style of play fits with the team—even though Barcelona need a CB more than anything else. His history with the club could become a factor he signs with them as well.
Thiago Silva to Barcelona
4 of 6One of the biggest needs this offseason for Barcelona will be at the CB position.
Carles Puyol has had a tough season, and age is clearly beginning to catch up to the captain. Gerard Pique has struggled with injuries and Javier Mascherano has played well when called upon, but he is technically out of position because he is not a pure CB.
One player that may become available for the right price is AC Milan defender Thiago Silva.
Thiago Silva has been rumored to be heading to the Camp Nou for almost two years now. He is one of the best defenders in the world and would be greatly accepted by Culés.
Who wouldn’t want him on their team?
Last year, AC Milan extended Silva’s contract until 2016. But don’t think this means there’s no way he could not leave. Barcelona and AC Milan have made many deals in the past including the transfers of Gianluca Zambrotta, Ronaldinho, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It’s usually been players heading to Milan.
Both clubs also organize and play friendly matches against each other in the preseason.
The Rossoneri will definitely be hesitant to sell their best defender and it will come down to price. If Barcelona has €50 million to spend on transfers, most of that money would certainly go to Silva alone.
One option Barcelona does have if they go after Thiago Silva would be to lower the Euros but add a young player like Sergi Roberto or Marc Muniesa to the deal.
In a meeting with Spanish reporters on prior to Brazil's friendly game versus Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thiago Silva said that for every great player, it is his dream to play for Barcelona. “Who wouldn’t like to be on the best team in the world one day?”
Many fans would love to see Thiago Silva realize the dream of playing in the Camp Nou, but it will take a lot of money and quite frankly—Milan may not say yes to any deal no matter how much cash is thrown at them.
The fact that both teams have made deals with each other in the past does gives Thiago Silva joining FC Barcelona a better possibility then some of the other rumors surrounding the club.
Still, Thiago Silva is exactly what FC Barcelona needs; a young, strong center back. We’ll see what happens.
Robin van Persie to Barcelona
5 of 6Who wouldn’t want Robin van Persie right now? The man has been unstoppable all season.
Barcelona has not had a true striker since Samuel Eto’o. While this has not been a real issue since Eto’o left, there have been moments where a striker has been needed.
This year has been tough for many blaugrana players like David Villa (before the injury), Pedro Rodriguez (even when healthy) and others hit the back of the net.
Robin van Persie has been on a tear.
He is the EPL’s leading goal scorer with 23 goals (29 in all competitions). The captain of Arsenal has set up countless plays for his teammates as has caused problems for all opponents. He is clearly the best player in the EPL today.
With Arsenal’s continuing trophy-less drought not changing anytime soon, there have been various rumors about Robin van Persie and his alleged desire to play elsewhere where he can win hardware. With a reported €50 million to spend on transfers and a need to score more goals, Barcelona will keep their eye on van Persie.
Perhaps former Arsenal teammate Cesc Fàbregas could convince RVP to bring his goal-scoring talents to La Liga.
There are reports that Arsenal has come to a provisional agreement with 1. FC Köln and German national team player Lukas Podolski. If true, does this mean Arsenal is looking to find a new teammate for van Persie or is it a sign that Arsenal has a back-up plan if RVP goes?
As much as many fans would like to see van Persie in blaugrana, there are reason why signing him would not be a good idea as well. Barcelona does well without a pure striker for the most part and the team still has a striker turned winger in David Villa.
The main reason RVP may not come to the Camp Nou is the fact that the biggest need for FC Barcelona is not striker. Barcelona needs to improve the back line, not so much the need of a striker.
Plus, van Persie may not fit well with Barcelona’s playing style.
Of course, let’s not forget the money issue. More than half of the reported €50 million the club has to spend this summer would be gone with a van Persie purchase. The March 1st edition of SPORT.es reported that Arsenal has rated Robin van Persie’s value at €25 million.
Is it possible Robin van Persie comes to FC Barcelona?
Yes.
Is it likely?
Only RVP knows.
Conclusion
6 of 6Conclusion
Which transfer rumor would you like to see come true?
Feel free to comment below. As always, please be respectful when commenting.
Thanks for reading. I leave you with Lionel Messi’s amazing goal from last week’s game versus Atletico Madrid. Check out the call from GolTV (USA) Spanish commentator Diego Pessolano.
Visca el Barça!
Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter: @XoelCardenas
Don’t forget to check out my other columns:
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