Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Miralem Pjanic and Felipe Anderson Rumours

Barcelona are reportedly ready to muscle in on Manchester United and Liverpool’s pursuit of Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic as the club weigh up their options ahead of their transfer embargo being lifted in January 2016.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express), Luis Enrique wants to land the Giallorossi playmaker and Torino full-back Matteo Darmian in the the next mid-season window. It’s noted in the piece that while the Blaugrana are banned from adding players to their squad for the start of next season, they can arrange future signings.

Here’s a look at why Pjanic would potentially be a very savvy addition on Barcelona’s part:

Indeed, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international ticks all the boxes when it comes to the traits synonymous with the Camp Nou club. He’s an extremely talented manipulator of the ball, possesses superb spatial awareness and has a delectable range of passing.

Here’s how he fares in league matches when compared to the club’s other orthodox central-midfield options:

	Pjanic	Rakitic	Xavi	Iniesta
Apps (Sub)	21 (4)	19 (6)	14 (7)	14 (3)
Goals	3	4	1	0
Assists	6	6	5	0
Passes per Game	71.6	56.5	60.4	61.7
Key Passes per Game	2.2	1.2	1.7	1.1
Pass Completion	91.1 %	89.7 %	92.8 %	91.4 %

Roma looked set to challenge for the title this season, but Rudi Garcia’s side have really toiled since the turn of the year and are now looking over their shoulder as they vie for a spot in next season’s Champions League. Should they fail to qualify, it’d be no surprise to see a host of their marquee players look to further their careers elsewhere.

Pjanic is arguably the most talented player of the lot, and as noted by Bleacher Report's Adam Digby, recent reports in Italy have suggested he is ready to leave the Stadio Olimpico:

For a player of Pjanic’s serene style, a move to Camp Nou would surely be appealing. But if clubs with the gravitas of Liverpool and United come calling in the summer offering an immediate transfer, it would surely be difficult for the 25-year-old to turn down a move to the Premier League.

Felipe Anderson on Barcelona Radar

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Espana), Barcelona’s international sporting director, Ariedo Braida, has cited myriad potential transfer targets for the Blaugrana to look at from Serie A, including Lazio’s sensational Brazilian Felipe Anderson.

The piece also suggests a host of Premier League clubs are interested in the player. Indeed, speaking with Gazzetta TV, the player's agent, Stefano Castagana (h/t Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star), stated that both Manchester City and Chelsea have already been in for Anderson.

As we can see here, the 21-year-old is a remarkably talented footballer:

Anderson has been magnificent this season, spearheading Lazio’s charge toward a Champions League place. At the time of writing, the Biancocelesti are in third place in Serie A after a run of six consecutive wins and look poised to overtake local rivals Roma in the race to finish second behind runaway leaders Juventus.

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

According to WhoScored.com, in Lazio’s last 12 matches, Anderson has contributed a staggering nine goals and seven assists. It’s little wonder that reports in Italy (h/t Sport Witness) have claimed the club value their prized asset very highly indeed:

Anderson has the class to make an impact at Barcelona, but a move to the club as early as next January wouldn’t be ideal for the young Brazilian. After all, this is the first campaign in which he has really showcased his immense talent with regularity. As such, some caution must be exercised before the club goes splashing big money on the Lazio starlet.

The player needs to knuckle down in the Italian capital, continue producing virtuoso displays and iron out some of the erratic streaks that still occasionally blight his game. If he can add some consistency to complement his engrossing capriciousness, then Anderson is capable of reaching astonishing heights in the game.