Barcelona Transfer Rumours: David Luiz Is Ideal Target to Improve Squad in 2013

Signing Chelsea's star defender David Luiz is one of the few ways that Barcelona can actually improve upon the team that they'll put on the pitch this season. 

After all, this is the same squad that rode one of the greatest goal scorers on the planet in Lionel Messi, to a La Liga championship and semifinal appearance in Champions League last season. Not satisfied to sit back this summer, they already made the biggest transfer of the window by acquiring Neymar from Brazilian club Santos.

With Neymar and Messi teaming up for the foreseeable future in Barcelona, it would be easy for sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta to sit back, count his money and watch his club compete for every title possible next season. 

However, he now appears to have his sights set on improving the defense. According to Ben Hayward of Goal.com, the La Liga power has made a £21.5 million bid for Luiz. It's a bid that Chelsea is expected to decline, according to Husmukh Kerai of Goal.com, but it still shows that Barcelona will aggressively pursue options to improve the club. 

Luiz is the perfect fit for two reasons. First he's the perfect player to offer insurance for Carles Puyol, who had knee surgery during the offseason and is 35 years old. Secondly, Luiz is more than a short-term insurance policy, at 26 years of age, he's hitting his prime now. 

Puyol's leadership is important to the club. He's been in a Barcelona kit since 1999 and remains one of the club's most recognizable figures.

However, his time as a premier player is dwindling, and Luiz has the skill set to anchor the Barca defense. According to whoscored.com's match rating metric, Luiz (7.12) has already started to outplay Puyol (6.82) last season. 

Luiz also offers the club some versatility, too. According to whoscored.com, the dynamic Brazilian played 10 matches as either a midfielder or defensive midfielder and scored five goals in those appearances.

His ability to play multiple positions would give Barca the opportunity to play both he, Luiz and Puyol on the pitch at the same time, thus guaranteeing that the club gets a strong return on their investment. 

It's going to cost more money than the current £21.5 million bid to acquire him, but Barcelona's impending pursuit to bring Luiz into the fold is a wise one.