Manchester City winger emerges as possible Dembele replacement for Barcelona

An important summer transfer window awaits Barcelona as they look to take the next step in their rebuild under Xavi Hernandez.

A new marquee striker remains at the top of the agenda for the club. At the same time, Barça will also look to revamp their backline, while a new winger could also be brought in owing to Ousmane Dembele’s situation.

The Frenchman’s current contract with the club runs out at the end of the season. His improved form under Xavi Hernandez during the second half of the season has prompted talks of an extension, but there has been no movement made on that front, as of yet.

And now, Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna reports that Barcelona are already identifying replacements for the former Borussia Dortmund star, with Riyad Mahrez emerging as a target for the La Liga giants.

The Manchester City winger is set to enter the final year of his contract with the Premier League champions and might consider an exit amidst increasing competition for places at the Etihad Stadium, which could deprive him of regular game-time.

Mahrez is a proven performer at the highest level and is enjoying a fine campaign in 2021/22. The 31-year-old has plundered 22 goals and seven assists from 36 matches across all competitions this term and has the potential to be an exciting addition to the Barça camp.

The report adds that the Blaugrana have initiated preliminary contacts with Manchester City over a possible move for the Algerian international. However, as things stand, the Catalan club’s priority remains Leeds United and Brazil winger Raphinha.

Mahrez is attracting a lot of interest, with the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and even Real Madrid keeping tabs on his situation at Manchester City, apart from Barcelona. It will be interesting to see if Xavi & co. decide to pursue the former Leicester City winger or press ahead with their chase of Raphinha.