Is Dirk Kuyt Transfer Link a Sign of Desperation for Barcelona?

Are Barcelona trolling their own fans? Dirk Kuyt as a summer transfer target?

According to Sport (via ESPN FC), the 35-year-old Feyenoord marksman is a realistic transfer target for the Catalans who are looking for a "new Henrik Larsson."

That translates to a player with requisite experience who won't demand to start every game but can provide willing service as needed.

Perhaps it's the four goals in eight games since returning to his former club that have thrust Kuyt into the frame?

It does appear to be a move of utter desperation on the face of it from Barca. At least five years, if not more, have passed since the Dutchman was at his peak.

Can Luis Enrique really justify the inclusion of Kuyt ahead of the likes of Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi? Both youngsters lack experience, but that only comes with time.

VI-Images/Getty Images

Are we looking at another situation where the immediacy of success rears its ugly head, where Barca will once again put the needs of La Masia on the back burner and turn to a footballing antique?

Tomas Andreu of Sport noted that:

"

Robert Fernandez has his hands at work. Slowly but surely the sports management team are committed to developing a list of potential signings.

The football market is huge and requires thorough screenings to fit the profile demanded by Luis Enrique and also within the economic conditions. 

[...] A first review of the market puts forward some names that might fit the profile demanded along with reasonable economic demands. 

[...] Between football and economics, Barcelona's board will look at the way they might integrate into the dressing room plus the way they can adapt to Lucho's system. The role for the winter signing is specific and they don't want him to create future friction. 

"

Other names in the frame are Alvaro Negredo, Jonathan Soriano and Sergio Garcia, all of whom are 30-plus.

If we are to take Andreu's words literally, then Luis Enrique has demanded precisely the type of signing that eyebrows are being raised at.

Lucho deserves the respect of all after his successes of last season, but such moves in the transfer market do seem incredibly short-sighted.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Could Johan Cruyff have had an influential role in the links to his compatriot? Adam Bate of Sky Sports recently noted the ex-Barca manager's words: "You're blessed as a team when you have someone like him walking around. With Kuyt you can, at a tactical level, go in all directions."

Ostensibly a front man, Kuyt does at least bring the luxury of being able to slot into all manner of positions. Known as something of a jack of all trades, the former Liverpool man is always committed to the cause, and he can never be accused of not putting in a shift. 

But Barca don't need the utility side of his game because they are well set in most areas.

If the club is going to buy another striker to make up the numbers, surely it would be better served by getting a player who is younger and fitter. Moreover, it'd be worth acquiring someone who could really trouble the status quo and actually push for a starting place.

The idea of having a player in reserve and pushing Barca's academy graduates even further into the wilderness is flawed. How is this supposed to help the club long term?

Arguably, even the hint of a move for Kuyt spells the end, certainly in the short term, for the first-team careers of Munir and Ramirez. It could even precipitate another clear out of Masia graduates, sent elsewhere to see their careers flourish.

Why would you want to stay at a club that looks toward the past to author the present?