Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Joao Cancelo and Stephan Lichtsteiner

Barcelona are reportedly hoping to recruit a right-back in January to replace Aleix Vidal and have identified Valencia's Joao Cancelo and Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner as two of their options.

According to Javier Giraldo of Sport, the Blaugrana "have sounded out" Cancelo, but Los Che are reluctant to part with another key player after Barca bought Paco Alcacer in the summer.

Lichtsteiner is their second option—the right-back is struggling to get in the Bianconeri's side following the arrival of former Barca defender Dani Alves.

Giraldo adds the club have also drawn up a mystery third option "who could become the surprise of the winter market."

Of Cancelo and Lichtsteiner, the former would undoubtedly be the better choice, but his signing would be more difficult to pull off.

Here's a look at the pair's numbers this season, courtesy of Squawka:

	Cancelo	Lichtsteiner
Minutes	792	461
Apps	11	6
Tackles	17	4
Interceptions	19	2
Clearances	9	6
Take-Ons	31	1
Chances Created	6	5
Pass Completion	70%	81%

Lichtsteiner is an experienced campaigner, but at 32, he'd only be a short-term solution.

Further, the right-back has endured a noticeable decline in recent times—football writers Adam Digby and Andrew Gibney noted his struggles in Juve's recent clash with Napoli:

As for Cancelo, he would provide much stronger competition for Sergi Roberto, and at 10 years the Swiss player's junior, he would not only be a long-term capture, but he also has room to develop his game further.

Here's a look at the qualities he could bring to the Camp Nou:

The Portuguese defender's marauding runs forward are somewhat reminiscent of Barca legend Alves, and like the Brazilian, he could help provide support and width to their attacking play.

Valencia's desire to keep him is understandable, particularly after seeing Alcacer and Andre Gomes join the Catalan giants in the summer—losing yet another important player to them would be highly damaging both to their prospects on the field and the morale of their fans.

Signing him—particularly in January—will be tricky, though it appears the club are considering more than just he and Lichtsteiner, so they may well pursue one of their other options.