Barcelona Transfer News: Nabil Fekir Dreams of Move, Latest on Thomas Muller

Lyon forward Nabil Fekir has revealed one of his biggest ambitions in football—to play for Barcelona.

In an interview with Raphael Raymond of French outlet L'Equipe (h/t Sport), the 22-year-old—who is currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury suffered in September—said:

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In my head, I have a lot of dreams. I want to give my all for Lyon so that I can sign for a big club. That is my aim. My favourite team is Barcelona, but I know I need a lot of work... To play for Barca is my dream.

I'd like to be back by March. If earlier, then even better. If it's later I'd be upset, but I'd prefer to lose another month and for my knee to be completely healed than to risk damage in the future.

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The Frenchman racked up 15 goals and 13 assists last season and impressed with his dribbling skills, per WhoScored.com:

His exploits earned him Ligue 1's Young Player of the Year award and catapulted him onto the European stage. The youngster looked to be continuing his impressive form with four goals and an assist in his four appearances before suffering his injury.

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Though they have shown they're more than capable of operating at almost full capacity even without Lionel Messi this season, Barca could do with another forward option after allowing the likes of Pedro and Adama Traore to depart in the summer.

If Fekir can recapture the promising form he enjoyed prior to his injury and maintain his fitness going forward, he could be a worthy candidate for them to consider in the future.

After missing the majority of the current campaign, though, prospective suitors could be wise to forgo pursuing him as early as the summer. 

A more marquee option who could make an instant impact is Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller.

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Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus believes the Catalan giants are the only club that could tempt the German international, but he has called on the forward to remain a local hero in Munich for the remainder of his career.

Per Uche Amako of the Express, he said: 

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It is not necessary for him to go to Manchester United. Just as Chelsea is not necessary. Barcelona perhaps, that may be attractive. But I do not know if their style of play would suit his own.

My opinion is that he should remain at Bayern for at least a lifetime! At no other club can he play with the joy and pleasure as he reflects today. He needs no new challenge since Bayern already plays each year at the top.

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Muller has already scored an outstanding 20 goals this season—more than each of Barca's front three—as well as creating four.

The 26-year-old is not quite as technically gifted as Messi, Luis Suarez or Neymar. He may not have the Uruguayan's unbridled tenacity, the Brazilian's dazzling flair or the Argentinian's unrelenting ability to find the back of the net.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Nevertheless, Muller is a phenomenal player and devastatingly effective. His ability to ghost into space is unrivalled and helps him contribute an exceptional number of goals each season, and this quality would offer a different dimension to Barca's already dynamic forward play.

Football journalist Stefan Bienkowski notes the effectiveness of Muller's style, while former footballer Jan Aage Fjortoft believes Muller is worthy of football's biggest individual prize.

While Barca vice president Susana Monje would prefer the club not to splash out in January, manager Luis Enrique is hoping for another forward, and sporting director Robert Fernandez has not ruled out the possibility of adding further reinforcements, according to Marca.

He said: "There is a transfer window which we can use, but we'll take our time to assess what we have to do."

Whether the club target January transfers or not, a player of Muller's quality isn't likely to be moving until at least the summer, though.

Further, though the Blaugrana must be a tempting option for any player worthy of their consideration, they're also one of the only teams in the world where Muller wouldn't be guaranteed a starting berth or significant game time.

With that being the case, staying at Bayern to enjoy further success or even joining a club like United to become the main man seem more likely than a switch to the Camp Nou.