Five Premier League loan stars who could replace Aguero at Barca
Barcelona continues to stumble from one crisis to the next in what is turning out to be a nightmare season for the Catalans.
Sitting ninth in La Liga, nine points off top spot and six from a Champions League spot, the club are still struggling to come to terms without Lionel Messi.
As well as this, summer signing Sergio Aguero has been ruled out for at least three months after coming off on Saturday reportedly suffering breathing problems.
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It is a huge blow for Barca who know they will struggle to replace the Argentine forward due to their ongoing financial constraints.
They have previously stated they have €20 million to spend in January but they are unlikely to find someone suitable for that kind of money.
It means that looking down the loan route is an evermore present reality for a club that has to make the Champions League next year or their financial situation will only worsen.
Here, Football Transfers looks at five forwards Barcelona could look to loan in January.
Divock Origi - Liverpool
There's no doubt Origi's greatest moment in a Liverpool shirt came with his Champions League final goal of 2019 but his famous semi-final strike against Barca was not too far behind.
The Belgian international has never been first choice at Anfield and, despite holding cult status amongst the support, never will be.
Jurgen Klopp likes Origi's height for times he needs to go direct. But, with the current scintillating form of the four players ahead of him, it's hard to see when he plays.
Klopp has allowed Origi to leave on loan before, sending him out to Wolfsburg in 2017/18.
Out of contract next summer, this could be seen as an early opportunity to get him off their books.
He may not have the profile Xavi would wish, but beggers can't be choosers right now.
Anthony Martial - Manchester United
The forgotten man of Old Trafford, it seems he doesn't hold much favour with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He's only appeared seven times this season and notched just one goal in that period.
Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford are all ahead of Martial in the queue and it appears only a change of manager will save his United career.
But Solskjaer got a reaction from Jesse Lingard last season when he loaned him to West Ham and could see the merits of trying the same thing with Martial.
Edison Cavani - Manchester United
Cavani is very much still in the picture at Manchester United and scored a lovely goal in the win over Tottenham Hotspur.
But he's only started twice this season and may be frustrated at consistently being asked to play a cameo role at his age.
At 34-years-old, Cavani may see Barca as one last shot at being a starter for a big club and may push for a move if he knows they will come calling.
Solskjaer won't let both Cavani and Martial go, however, so it's one or the other from those two.
Ferran Torres - Manchester City
Torres is under contract at City until summer 2025 and may still be a big part of Pep Guardiola's plans.
But he hasn't started a match for the Premier League champions since the beginning of September and found himself on the bench before suffering a foot injury.
A six-month loan to Barcelona might work for all parties as consistent first-team football in Spain can set him up for a proper crack at English football for the 2022/23 season.
City have not missed Torres and Guardiola may consider a move like this to be all about the player development and helping out his old side.
Alexandre Lacazette - Arsenal
Another player out of contract, Lacazette would surely relish the chance to move to Spain, where he has been persistently linked with Atletico Madrid.
Technical and mobile, he is a decent fit for Barcelona's needs in the circumstances and has a consistent scoring record.
Such a move may hinge on Arsenal finding a replacement, though, as the Gunners do not have huge depth offensively.
