Barcelona keeping tabs on the breakthrough defender from Ligue 1

This week has been a very engrossing one at Barcelona. The club has officially announced three signings and the return of Jordi Cryuff. The process of rebuilding the first team’s squad is in full flow at the moment. Amidst this, Fichajes have reported that Barça are keeping an eye on the Lille defender, Sven Botman.

Lille have had a breakthrough season in Ligue 1 as they snatched the Ligue 1 title from the French giants, Paris Saint Germain. This has resulted in many European superpowers keeping tabs on their players. The name being discussed the most is that of Botman. Barça’s Spanish rivals, Atletico Madrid, have also shown interest in the 21-year-old.

According to the report, like many other Dutch players, Ronald Koeman is pushing for the Dutch youngster’s signing. Botman has turned heads with spectacular performances in Lille’s triumphant run. He made over 45 appearances for the French side through the course of the season. In addition, Botman has very impressive defensive stats to prove his quality.

Barcelona have faced troubles at the back for almost half a decade now. Season after season, Barça’s defense fails at the highest stage. This season too, Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique, the two mainstays in Barça’s defense, produced awful performances in the latter stages of the league. However, the emergence of Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza has been a positive in an otherwise terrible season for the Catalan club.

Barça will face tough competition from many clubs across Europe for signing Botman. Given the delicate financial situation of the club, it will not be an easy acquisition for the Catalan giants. The club will also need to evaluate how many minutes they can realistically promise to the youngster.

Barça have already secured the signing of Eric Garcia. Along with Garcia, the club also boasts of talented young centre-backs in the form of Araujo and Mingueza. Furthermore, there have been reports that Barça are also planning to bring in an experienced centre-back to replace Pique for the foreseeable near future.

That said, if the deal can be completed, the Dutchman will surely be a great signing for the long-term.