Barcelona Transfer News: Jordi Alba Is Ideal Summer Transfer for Catalan Giants

Barcelona is extremely strong at every position except left back, making Valencia’s Jordi Alba the perfect transfer target.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Barça has reserved €40 million for acquiring new talent and the team is currently inquiring about Alba. 

In the report, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell says, "I am not happy these negotiations (for Alba) have leaked out but they have." 

Rosell’s attempt at secrecy was somewhat unnecessary as this is a fairly obvious move. Every member of Barça’s starting 11 is a world-class talent except the players they have tried at left back. 

Eric Abidal made a courageous return from a liver transplant, but he is 32 years old and certainly not the future at the position. 

Adriano has seen some playing time at left back, but has not shown anything impressive. Pep Guardiola often used makeshift lineups to compensate for the team’s weakness. 

One solution was simply playing with three defenders, and another was using Javier Mascherano as a center back and playing Carles Puyol on the outside.

But with Alba on the team, these players can return to their natural positions and let the young star flourish with Blaugrana. 

Alba has played extremely well for Spain at Euro 2012 and was also impressive at Valencia this past season.

He is a Barcelona native and grew up in the team’s famed youth program. He is 23 years old and will be a fixture at outside defender for many years if he returns to his hometown club.

He is a natural left back who is speedy and compact. His attacking talents make him a perfect fit in Barcelona’s tiki taka style.

By their standards, Barça had a disappointing season in 2012. This led to Guardiola’s resignation and it will also lead to personnel changes during the summer. 

The first move should be to buy a left back and Alba is the best one on the market. With Alba’s return to Camp Nou, the squad would have no weaknesses in the starting 11.

Rosell has identified his team’s most glaring need and is addressing it with the best player available. If the deal gets done, it will be the best move that Barça makes this offseason.