One of the main preferences for an arrival in the coming summer transfer window for FC Barcelona is that of a midfield pivot. Sergio Busquets has departed the club, and Oriol Romeu has not been able to perform up to the required standards at Barcelona, which means the Catalans will once again have to go into the market to reinforce this position.
For this position, Deco has some names clear in his mind, including some players who can come as free agents, but the Sporting Director is also looking at affordable quality options available in the market.
As already reported, one of the players liked by the Catalans for this position is the Feyenoord player, Matts Weiffer. But in addition to him, SPORT reports that the Serbian midfielder Lazar Samardzic is also highly liked by Deco.
Currently playing for the Italian side Udinese, the Serbian has a release clause of €35 million in his contract. Two other Italian clubs, Inter Milan and Napoli, are trying to sign him in the coming summer window, and Barcelona also like his game a lot.
The midfielder has long been known by the Barcelona Sporting Department, as he had already been linked with the Catalan club when he was still playing with the youth team at Hertha Berlin.
He consulted people around him and ended up joining the German side RB Leipzig at that time, with the Germans paying a ridiculously high amount for him.
However, he was unable to adapt at Leipzig, and joined Udinese as the Italians paid €3 million for him. He has had a spectacular rise in Italy since joining them, and is currently one of the most promising midfielders available in the market.
For FC Barcelona, his name is on the table to become the next midfield pivot in the team. However, nothing is certain for now, and it remains how much of a priority Barcelona attach to his name this summer.