Four left-backs Barcelona are targeting to replace Alba
Martin Macdonald
- 14 Apr 2022 12:00 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are in the middle of a squad overhaul, with head coach Xavi looking to move on dead wood and to bring in his own players.
In the January transfer window, Ferran Torres was signed for big money, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived for free from Barcelona and Adama Traore signed on loan from Wolves.
The Blaugrana will continue their recruitment in the summer, with various reports from Spain suggesting they have already signed Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie on free transfers.
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The likes of Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland have been mentioned as marquee signings, too, but Barcelona's financial situation makes those deals difficult.
A priority for the summer is to sign a new left-back to act as a rotation option for Jordi Alba, who is now 33-years-old.
According to Mundo Deportivo, there are four names on their shortlist.
Borna Sosa - Stuttgart
Borna Sosa is a young left-back that has been going from strength to strength with Stuttgart since joining the Bundesliga side from Dinamo Zagreb in 2018.
During his time at Stuttgart, Sosa quickly developed into a wing-back with an exceptional cross on him. And more often than not that has led to him piling up the assists each season, with eight to his name in the current campaign.
Indeed, Sosa’s delivery with his left foot is so good that he’s often been compared to former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger David Beckham. And it is a comparison that he seems to enjoy.
Barca will need to battle with Premier League sides for his signature.
Javi Galan - Celta
Perhaps the cheapest option on our list would be to go to Celta and sign Javi Galan, who can play as a left-back, wing-back or a left midfielder.
Unlike Sosa mentioned above, Galan is not particularly prolific when it comes to the final third and assists.
That is something Barcelona will definitely want to look at, and Galan would undisputedly be a back up to Alba.
Alex Moreno - Betis
As proved with the arrival of Adama in January, Barcelona have previous in bringing back players who previously featured for them at youth level.
Alex Moreno could be the latest in a long line of players to return as Barca are looking at the current Betis man for their left-back position.
The Spaniard has been an integral part of an impressive Betis side over the last couple of years and has five goals to his name in 2021/22.
Ramy Bensebaini - Gladbach
In addition to Sosa mentioned above, Barca are targeting another Bundesliga left-back in Ramy Bensebaini.
The Algerian is different to Sosa in that his goalscoring actually outperforms his assists, which highlights just how high he likes to get up the pitch, much in the mould of someone like Alba.
Since moving from Rennes in 2019, he has scored an impressive 17 goals from left-back for Gladbach.
