Two players on Barcelona’s radar as Jose Gaya alternatives – report

The search to replace Jordi Alba has been in the works for a couple of years, now. With the Spaniard hitting 33 in March this year, Barcelona have been looking at one player in particular that could be their long-term solution – Jose Luis Gaya.

Valencia’s captain, Gaya, becomes a free agent in 2023, and has been on Barcelona’s radar for a few years. However, this year could be the decisive one, with his contract renewal talks, especially volatile.

The Spaniard reportedly wants to continue at the club and is waiting for Valencia to table a better contract. As such, Barça must look at alternatives, in case Gaya’s transfer pursuit goes south. Fichajes reports that Alejandro Grimaldo and Nicolas Tagliafico are the two players being monitored by the Catalan giants.

Grimaldo’s return to Barcelona?

When Grimaldo left Barcelona for Benfica six years ago, he was still part of the B team, and knew that he would never get his time over Jordi Alba. Now 26, he has consistently been one of the best left-backs across the top 6 leagues for a few seasons in a row.

The Spaniard has already scored four goals and set up five this season while creating a whopping 12 big chances. He has been one of Benfica’s saving grace in a truly shocking season.

Will Tagliafico live his Barcelona dream?

After a failed move to Barcelona in the winter, Tagliafico was pretty vocal about how he was let down by Ajax. He claimed that a chance to move to the five-time Champions League winners was a dream, one that he could not live.

As it stands, the Argentine could still land his dream club, especially given that Ajax have slapped a measly €7 million transfer fee on the left-back. He would be, contrary to Grimaldo, a short-term solution given his age – 29.