Report: Martin Braithwaite to Barcelona Deal Expected to Be Completed Wednesday

Barcelona are reportedly expected signed Leganes striker Martin Braithwaite on Wednesday, according to ESPN FC.

Barca were granted permission to make an emergency signing outside of the transfer window after Ousmane Dembele was ruled out for six months following hamstring surgery earlier in February. 

They'll also be without Luis Suarez until May after he had knee surgery in January.

The signing has to be either a free agent or from within Spain.

Football writer Zach Lowy feels for Leganes, who sit 19th in La Liga, two points from safety:

So too does sports writer and commentator Andy West, who also doubted Braithwaite would be a good acquisition for the Blaugrana:

The 28-year-old hasn't been a particularly prolific striker over the course of his career, in which he has scored 92 goals for club and country.

This season, he has eight goals in 27 matches for Leganes in all competitions, including six of their 18 goals in La Liga.

He has a useful habit of breaking deadlocks, though:

The forward will have much more creativity around him at Barcelona than he does at Leganes, so he'll have the chance to show what he can do with better service if the signing goes through.

He'll add plenty of pace to the side, too, something Barca don't have an abundance of in the final third without Dembele, and he can provide cover on the left as well as through the middle.

It is perhaps a strange decision to go for Braithwaite over Getafe's Angel Rodriguez, though. Rodriguez turns 33 in April, but his buyout clause is only €10 million, and he has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season.