Barcelona Transfers: 7 Players They're Looking to Replace Carles Puyol with

Barcelona captain Carles Puyol is one of a dying breed.

A true defender straight out of the "old school," he is a player of no little skill with a tremendous will to win and a fervent desire to always lead from the front.

His combative spirit has often seen him on the sidelines through injury and these occurrences are becoming ever more frequent as old father time begins to catch up with the shaggy haired Catalan warrior.

A player that demands nothing less than the absolute best, Puyol's 100 percent commitment in each and every match has won him many admirers, including the more celebrated players in today's game.

So how do Barcelona go about replacing their "Captain Fantastic" and who do they replace him with?

Let's take a look at some of the players being linked with a move to the Camp Nou this summer...

Thiago Silva

There is no doubt that Paris St Germain captain and Brazil international Thiago Silva is the first choice of Tito Vilanova and the technical staff at Barcelona.

President Sandro Rosell even alluded to Silva's possible capture at a recent press conference, per goal.com.

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We never say never but it would be difficult to negotiate. I think it would be very difficult.

We have not contacted PSG because the player's wages are very high. We can afford it [the salary] but it could upset the dressing-room.

"

Thiago Silva is a player that carries out his defensive responsibilities with aplomb. Agile, quick and strong, he is a commanding presence and has shown he is a consummate and able leader of men.

In essence he is almost the perfect fit to replace Carles Puyol and at 28 is in the prime of his career.

Barcelona will hope a deal can be struck for a player who has made his admiration for La Blaugrana crystal clear. So says Dermot Corrigan, Spanish football correspondent for espnfc.com.

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I have always been a Barca fan since I was a boy, when they had Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo. I am their No. 1 fan.

I am happy at the moment at PSG...but you can never speak about the future. 

When you sign a contract, you expect to fulfil it, but this depends on a lot of things. People dream.

"

David Luiz

Thiago Silva's fellow Brazilian defensive partner is also said to be interesting Barcelona according to Barry Glendenning of The Guardian.

David Luiz is a more attack minded defender (via whoscored.com) than Silva, and that is potentially his downfall.

His vulnerability from set pieces is also not a a particularly desirable quality given how Barcelona have struggled in this area, but neither is it a deal breaker.

In his favor are his passing range and his ability to bring the ball out of defence, qualities that would suit Barca's style of football.

Not to mention his prowess in the attacking third of the pitch when required—think back to this goal against Basel. 

Branislav Ivanovic

Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic has a similar defensive profile to Carles Puyol.

A no-nonsense type of defender, Ivanovic is the proverbial "brick wall" that opposition attackers need to break through.

With no discernable weaknesses (via whoscored.com), Ivanovic is a true warrior who represents fantastic value at the rumoured £10m transfer fee, per Harry Pratt of the Daily Star Sunday.

At 29 years of age, the Serb still has a good few years left at the top and a natural desire and willingness to patrol the defensive areas is perfectly complimentary to the more nomadic Gerard Pique.

As the player showed in the Europa League Final however, when he gets forward he is also adept at supplementing the attack.

Particularly so at set pieces—which is certainly an asset that would be desirable for the Catalans.

Laurent Koscielny

Arsenal's French international Laurent Koscielny is a name that has come out of nowhere to be recently linked with a switch to Barcelona.

Sport.es report that the player's agent Stephane Courbis is aware of the interest of the Catalan club even though formal contact has yet to be made.

Koscielny's partnership with Per Mertesacker has sidelined Thomas Vermaelen at the Emirates and manager Arsene Wenger would be loathe to lose his most consistent defender.

In an interview with Eurosport France however, the player left Wenger in no doubt as to his modus operandi if Arsenal are unable to secure their own reported transfer targets.

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I want to have some titles. I hope the club will give itself the means. If that's not the case, I'll go take a look elsewhere.

We'll have to see whether there are clubs who are interested. I don't just want to go anywhere. I want to discover a new championship.

"

A reported £15m transfer fee, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, would not be a problem for Barcelona.

Jeremy Mathieu

Valencia's Jeremy Mathieu could be a cut-price alternative to Barcelona's other defensive options.

His ability to play both in central defence and in the left back slot evidences his versatility and a potential transfer fee of just eight million euros represents extremely good value.

A commanding presence in the air, the Frenchman is no slouch when it comes to balls played on the deck.

Football Espana note that despite undergoing contract talks with Los Che, Mathieu's representatives have in fact already offered him to Barcelona.

Sky Sports report that the player is flattered at Barca's interest yet remains happy at Valencia. 

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Any player likes a team like Barcelona but I only have one thing in my head and that is Valencia.

I am closing in on the end of my career and I am almost 30 and I what I know for certain is that it would be great to end my career here.

Now I have a year left on my contract and would end my playing days with this club.

"

Despite that pledge of loyalty, the chance for the player to resurrect his wonderful partnership with Jordi Alba may prove a temptation to hard to resist.

Inigo Martinez

Real Sociedad's Inigo Martinez has already been compared with Carles Puyol.

At just 22 years of age he is destined to be one of the future stars of the Spanish national team and Sociedad have exhibited their desire to hang onto one of their prized assets by recently tying him to a new contract with a 30m euro buyout clause.

For his part, the player doesn't appear interested in swapping San Sebastian for Catalonia. So says Dermot Corrigan for espnfc.com who quotes Martinez's interview with Marca:

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Of course I will stay at Real Sociedad next season.

I will not miss the party of playing for La Real in Europe for anything in the world. I am very happy there, that is the club of all my life, they backed me from the beginning.

Now it is my turn to return that confidence. I have a contract until 2017 and am only thinking about staying.

"

Should Martinez become a regular at the national level, then a club as well as country defensive partnership with Gerard Pique can surely only be of benefit for the future development of the player.

It is perhaps by employing this tactic that Tito Vilanova could have his best chance of enticing the youngster to join the Blaugrana ranks.

Eliaquim Mangala

Despite having only played 53 games for Porto, 22 year old Eliaquim Mangala is one of Europe's most sought after defenders.

So meteoric has been Mangala's rise that not only has he attracted the interest of Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea (per Steve Bates, Mirror), but also his transfer value has sky-rocketed.

Signed from Standard Liege for £5.5m just two years ago, conservative estimates now put his transfer fee nearer the £30m bracket after a string of commanding displays in the Portuguese League and Champions League.

That could price Barcelona out of the market, however Talksport report that Barcelona have identified the player as the perfect acquisition and consider his transfer a priority—at nearer the £20m mark.

Certainly the resume of the player is worth more than a cursory glance because of an inflated purchase price.

Speed, strength and stamina allied to a high level of consistency and defensive capability is a skill set that is extremely desirable.

As with Inigo Martinez, Mangala has time on his side and is still some years away from his peak—a frightening prospect.