FC Barcelona continue their hunt for more reinforcements in specific positions. One of the key areas where Barcelona need a new heir is the pivot role. Following the departure of Sergio Busquets, Barça have searched desperately to find an adequate replacement for the club legend.
Currently, the Catalan giants have hired Oriol Romeu as the position’s temporary caretaker, but this solution is neither gaining good remarks, nor is it a long-term answer. As such, many names have been thrown around as potential prospects.
Portuguese sensation
The likes of Joshua Kimmich, Arthur Vermeeren, and Gabriel Moscardo are just a few such names. Recently, as reported by SPORT, another name from Portugal has emerged. This particular name is Florentino Luis, a 24-year-old pivot who currently plays for SL Benfica.
While he is technically gifted in his own right, there is another metric where he excels. In terms of recovering balls, the player was among the finest in Europe last season. Moreover, he is a great asset as a midfielder both on and off the ball.
Deep pockets needed
However, the primary problem in his case is the price tag. As has become well-known at this point, Barcelona have problematic economic hurdles to overcome. Consequently, they can not exactly offer the highest bid for any particular player.
In the case of Florentino Luis, the 24-year-old has a significant €120 million release clause. This figure on its own would naturally discard the player as an option for Barcelona. However, La Blaugrana believe his price tag could be negotiated all the way down to €40 million.
Yet, on the other hand, that belief was rather strong when the player had begun to lose prominence in Benfica. Now, however, he is very much an active member of the starting eleven.
With three consecutive starts, it is unlikely that Barcelona will find it easy to displace him. However, just to keep their options open, the Portuguese midfielder will definitely be a player that Barcelona keep their eyes on.