Barcelona enter talks to sign soon-to-be free AC Milan defender

Barcelona currently have six centre-backs in their squad, out of which two are left-footed. The duo happens to be Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti, who have not impressed at all in their tenure at the Catalan capital.

As such, it is not a surprise that they will likely be the first ones out the door this summer. Barcelona will want to, however, bring in a left-footed centre-back that can help the team in possession.

In the last few days, it has been reported that Barcelona are working on a ‘secret’ transfer for another centre-back. AS, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo, believe it to be AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli.

The Milan captain becomes a free agent in the summer of 2022, and is, apparently, in talks with Barcelona over a move.

Xavi and co. are fans of the player and have been monitoring him for months. They believe him to be Ronald Araujo’s partner in defence for years to come.

This is not the first time Romagnoli’s name has been associated with Barcelona. The club was reportedly looking at his signing for a while last year as well, but eventually decided to not pursue him, at least until he becomes a free agent.

Romagnoli is not Milan’s first-choice centre-back, with Fikayo Tomori and Simon Kjaer given the nod over him in defence. He has, however, played quite a few games covering for Kjaer, who has been injured for four months now.

In the 18 appearances he has racked up in the league, Romagnoli has scored a goal and kept five clean sheets.

BU’s take

Romagnoli did rarely well for Milan up until 2019, but has been on a steady decline in the last two seasons. He has not been as reliable since Stefano Pioli took over the reigns and implemented a high-line and other modern tactical systems.

It would not be farfetched to assume that his problems would likely continue at Barcelona as well, given the high-line and press-heavy system.

It seems odd that the Catalans are pursuing his signing, given he is evidently a misfit for the team. It’s even strange that Romagnoli would come to Barcelona to play third, possibly fourth, fiddle to Araujo, Gerard Pique, and Andreas Christensen.