FC Barcelona have been trying to reinforce the midfield pivot position for the last two years, since the departure of Sergio Busquets, but have not had any significant success in this endeavor.
Last year, they brought in Oriol Romeu for this position, but the Spaniard was unable to play at the level required by the club and left for Girona in this last summer transfer window.
The Catalans also wanted to bring in another pivot last summer, but their financial problems kept them from doing so, while the emergence of players like Marc Bernal and Marc Casado also eliminated the urgency to undertake such an operation.
However, with his ACL tear, Bernal will not be able to play again for around one full year, and thus, the need for a midfield pivot is once again high.
In such a context, MARCA reports that one of the candidates that Barcelona have in their sights for this position is the PSV Eindhoven midfielder, Jerdy Schouten. The €28m-rated Dutch midfielder had a very good last season with the Dutch side.
First contacts between Barcelona and the Dutchman were already made in the last summer transfer window, but the Blaugranes’ financial problems kept them from having a chance to sign him.
There are also two other candidates on this list. One of them is Amadou Onana, who is possibly the highest on Deco’s list. But signing him will be very difficult as he is very expensive and he also only just joined Aston Villa in the last summer transfer window for €60 million.
Another option is the German Joshua Kimmich, whose current contract with Bayern Munich expires next year, and thus can arrive at the Catalan club for free. However, he has been playing more as a fullback than as a midfield pivot recently, and this could be a handicap for the club while pursuing him.
