Without possessing a great deal of financial muscle this summer, FC Barcelona have to work carefully. The Catalan club cannot afford to slack off as they continue to dissect different options and analyze them the best they can. Ultimately, Barcelona seem to have reached a conclusion about one particular position.
It is no secret that Barcelona hopes to recruit a new top-level pivot for the club. That position felt like a void when Xavi Hernandez was in charge, and Barça do not wish for the same to happen when Hansi Flick finally begins to coach the team.
However, it was previously reported that Barcelona would try to pursue the same priority target that Xavi had in his mind as a new pivot. Joshua Kimmich, a key player at Bayern Munich, was the former Barcelona coach’s desired arrival in his reported list of key signings.
Yet, according to Mundo Deportivo, Kimmich is no longer such a priority for Barcelona, and the club is not expected to pursue him this summer. Despite recent reports claiming that Bayern have placed a €30-40 million price tag on the player, he is overshadowed by two other targets.
Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad and Amadou Onana of Everton are the two names that Barcelona currently prioritizes. Merino is a 28-year-old Spanish midfielder and someone who already knows all about La Liga like the back of his hand due to his years of experience.
Onana, on the other hand, is much younger and much more physical. At the age of 22, the player is already a favorite of Deco’s as per several reports. With Everton looking to sell him and the player looking to move, Barcelona is carefully assessing the possibility of signing him.
On the other hand, the links connecting Kimmich to Barcelona seem to have gone cold. While the player may be a free agent next season, Barça may just end up waiting for that to happen and instead choose to pursue someone else this summer.
Despite Hansi Flick and Kimmich having a storied past together, it appears that the German coach may have different profiles in mind to help Barcelona going forward.
