FC Barcelona put their bets on Oriol Romeu to replace their legendary midfield pivot Sergio Busquets after the latter’s departure at the end of last season.
After an impressive start to life at his childhood club, Romeu started struggling after his midfield partner, Frenkie de Jong, got injured. From that point on, the La Masia graduate has struggled whenever Xavi has played him.
Currently, Romeu is not a starter for Xavi, and the club understands that it will have to invest significantly in this area to eliminate a major weakness in the squad.
There are several players being monitored in the market by Barcelona, but as SPORT has reported, the Catalans are highly likely to miss out on one of Deco’s favourite candidates.
Ederson dos Santos, the 24-year-old Brazilian currently playing for the Italian side Atalanta, has long been liked by the Portuguese official. Ederson has grown greatly in the last few years, and clubs across Europe are keeping a close eye on him.
Barcelona already tried to get the Brazilian in the last summer transfer window, but their finances did not allow them to get negotiations going, and Romeu was ultimately brought to replace Busquets. Now, with the interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, Ederson’s value has now risen to be above €40 million.
The club that is most closely linked with the Brazilian footballer is the Premier League side Manchester United. The Red Devils want to revamp their midfield, and while negotiations have not formally started with Atalanta, the English side is expected to make a bid for the midfielder soon.
Manchester United have been suffering from a serious midfield crisis this season, and the introduction of new capital with the changes in the shareholding structure of the club will allow them to invest significantly in their team.
