Imanol Alguacil: Barcelona Must Pay €70M to Sign Real Sociedad's Willian Jose

Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil has told Barcelona they must pay €70 million if they want to sign forward Willian Jose. 

Alguacil told reporters that the Catalan giants will have to meet the player's release clause if they want to bring him to the Camp Nou and added that he expects the 29-year-old to stay at his side at least until the end of the season:

"If they put the 70 million euros on the table then fine, there's nothing left to say. The whole thing about Willian Jose is starting to get a bit much. He's our player and he wants to continue to be our player. I don't know how long for but as far as I understand it he’ll be with us until the end of the season."

Willian Jose has emerged as Barcelona's top target after the club were granted permission to bring in a replacement for Ousmane Dembele outside of the transfer window by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), according to Sky Sports News.

Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday that Dembele would miss the next six months after undergoing surgery on a torn hamstring:

The club are already without Luis Suarez, after he underwent knee surgery in January, leaving them short on attacking options.

Willian Jose has eight La Liga goals for the Basque side this season and attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, per Fabrizio Romano at the Guardian.

Yet Alguacil's comments mean Barca are likely to look elsewhere as the club "only have a budget of up to €12 million" to spend on a new addition, according to Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens at ESPN FC. Real Betis striker Loren Moron and Getafe's Angel Rodriguez are also options, per the report.

Girona striker Cristhian Stuani is another player who has been mentioned, per Deportes Cuatro (h/t Spanish Football Podcast):

Barcelona manager Quique Setien has told reporters it is "obvious" his club need to bring in a striker and added that there are "several names on the table."

Currently, the 61-year-old has Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati as his only attacking options, and the coach seems unwilling to play the trio together in case of another injury, according to Hugo Cerezo at Marca.

Setien will be hoping Barca can strengthen as they face some crucial league fixtures in the coming weeks. The defending champions play third-placed Getafe at the Camp Nou on Saturday, while their next away match is against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.