Gavi’s ACL tear, which is expected to keep the midfielder out for the rest of the season, has significantly changed the plans of FC Barcelona for the current winter transfer window.
Earlier, the Catalans were planning to incorporate only Vitor Roque in the squad, but now, they are also looking for a midfielder to replace the Spaniard, whose absence has been keenly felt by Xavi’s side.
For this purpose, Deco and his staff are looking at several names, but one particular name has already been discarded. As SPORT has reported, the highly experienced English midfielder, Jordan Henderson, had offered himself to Barcelona a few weeks ago, but the Catalans were quick to discard this option.
The report mentions that the former Liverpool captain is looking for a way out of his current club, Al Ettifaq, and is expected to terminate his contract to join Ajax in the coming days.
However, the Dutch club was not always his first priority, and he knew that Barcelona were looking for a midfielder in the winter market to cover for Gavi. Thus, his entourage contacted the Catalans.
Laporta’s administration considered the offer but ultimately decided not to pursue Henderson for several reasons.
Firstly, they wanted to use the FFP space available to them to register Vitor Roque. Furthermore, Henderson was not content with a six-month loan, and the Barcelona board could not arrive at a consensus on him despite realising that he could be a highly experienced alternative for Gavi till the end of the season.
Thus, as he understood that moving to Barcelona would be difficult, he looked for other possible destinations, and currently is just a few steps away from leaving Saudi Arabia and making his return to Europe by signing with the current Eredivisie title holders, Ajax.
