Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Blaugrana Rumours, Stars Eyed by Luis Enrique

Barcelona reportedly want to scupper Manchester United's potential deal for Benfica midfield prodigy Renato Sanches. The Liga giants are also said to be targeting Borussia Dortmund's Julian Weigl as a potential replacement for holding midfield player Sergio Busquets.

But it's Sanches who tops a three-man list of possible Busquets replacements, according to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (h/t Jack Wilson of the Daily Star). He's noted how signing the teenage powerhouse will require thwarting a United deal already close to completion:

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Starsport understand United have already agreed a £46m deal for the Portuguese whizzkid, 18.

They are willing pay £31m up front and a further £15m in add-ons.

But now Barca are trying to gatecrash the swoop by making a move themselves.

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Reports from Portugal emphasise how the Camp Nou club will face a tough task beating the Red Devils to the punch. Portuguese source A Bola (h/t James Cambridge of the Daily Express) has reported how Sanches is "close to agreeing terms" on a move to Old Trafford this summer.

Those developments apparently have Barca already looking at alternatives to Sanches, with Weigl chief among them, per Wilson's recounting of the Mundo Deportivo report: "Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl and Nacional’s Sebastian Perez are also on their radar. The front page reads 'The Busquets of the future' and claims the trio are all on Barca’s wish-list."

Sebastian Perez is an interesting case. The 23-year-old enjoyed a brief yet impressive trial with Premier League side Arsenal prior to the start of the 2013/14 season. Despite showcasing some intriguing talent, Perez was unable to stay with the Gunners due to work permit issues.

But Weigl represents the best fit for Barca. He's emerged as a classy deep-lying playmaker at Dortmund this season under the shrewd tutelage of manager Thomas Tuchel.

Weigl's ability to thread passes between the lines has proved invaluable while Tuchel has transitioned the Bundesliga club away from the direct, rapid breaks favoured by predecessor Jurgen Klopp to a more possession-based game.

It's a ball-hogging style of play still endorsed by Barcelona, even though manager Luis Enrique has tried to encourage quicker breaks during the last two seasons. So Weigl would soon adapt to the Barca way of doing things.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

While he's ostensibly a defensive midfielder, Weigl is no overtly physical destroyer. Instead, the precocious 20-year-old negates opposition moves with his intellect, something detailed by Sportskeeda (h/t Yahoo News) back in December:

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His positioning sense more often than not defies his young age and requires him to be relatively less combative in the midfield in terms of flying into last ditch tackles. Another aspect of his game that amazed us was his ability to read the game. He reads the game like a 30-year-old, often breaking play with critical interceptions and harmless fouls.

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It's a description that bears favourable comparison with the work Busquets has done at the base of midfield for years.

Ironically, former Barca boss and incoming Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola could determine the futures of both players.

In March, the Citizens were linked with a £20 million swoop for Weigl, per the Daily Mirror's John Cross. But Guardiola is also keen on 27-year-old former protege Busquets, according to Italian source Calciomercato.com (h/t Metro's Mark Brus).

If Barca are resigned to losing Busquets, they won't find a more suitable replacement than cerebral young German star Weigl.