Barcelona eye summer swoop for Manchester United’s veteran midfielder

If one thing has been clear from Barcelona’s moves in the transfer market over the past few weeks, it is the sudden sense of urgency over reinforcements in midfield.

In the last window, Barcelona let go of two players from the department in Miralem Pjanic and Ilaix Moriba. The Catalans were close to regaining one number in midfield through the signing of Giorginio Wijnaldum. However, the deal collapsed at the last minute and the manager was left short-staffed in midfield.

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Barcelona has an abundance of young talent in the middle of the park. Not only the golden boy Pedri but also Spain’s youngest debutant Gavi and La Masia stars Riqui Puig and Nico Gonzalez have proven their worth.

Yet, Barcelona lack an experienced physical midfielder who could rotate off the bench to not only help stabilise the team but also prevent burnout. Several options have been linked with the club in recent days including Franck Kessie and Paul Pogba. However, the latest on the list according to The Sun is Manchester United’s, Nemanja Matic.

The Serbian international has been important of Solskjaer’s plans at Old Trafford. While maybe not the first choice given his age, Matic serves as a more than able deputy who is brilliant both on and off the ball. He now has just over a year left on his contract at United.

Barcelona are looking for a short term solution to their midfield crisis until the likes of Gavi and Nico are ready to become regular starters. This is where Matic emerges as a potential target.

The Blaugranas could plot a summer move for the veteran. The reported fee would be around €12 million. However, it remains to be seen if Barcelona indeed go for the player considering his age.