Revealed: Barca's solution to problem position playing in Scotland

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 4 Jan 2023 08:18 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona's struggle to replace long-time right-back Dani Alves has become so pronounced that they are ready to raid Scotland with their next attempt…

Alves casts a long shadow at Barcelona, having been widely regarded as the world's best right-back on the way to winning six La Ligas and three Champions Leagues between 2008 and 2016.

Successors like Nelson Semedo and Sergino Dest have failed to work out and Alves even returned for a season in 2021/22 before seeing out his career in Mexico.

READ: Right-back at you: Barcelona's three January transfer targets

Hector Bellerin was re-signed from Arsenal at the start of the season, but his calf injury has seen Jules Kounde play at right-back. Kounde may have got to the World Cup final in the position with France, but the €60 million summer arrival from Sevilla would rather play centre-back.

— The Celtic Way (@celticway1888) December 17, 2022

Step forward Josip Juranovic of Celtic. The Croatian international has only played in Scotland since his €3m arrival from Legia Warsaw in August 2021, but he went to the World Cup as his nation's first-choice right-back, helping them to a third-place finish.

Juranovic 'No.1 target'

"Barcelona are interested in signing Celtic's Josip Juranovic in January, with one source telling Sky Sports News he is their number one target to fill the right-back position," report Sky.

READ: Man Utd and Chelsea also targeting Juranovic

"Celtic have wanted to keep Juranovic in Glasgow and held talks over an improved new contract. However, neither party could reach an agreement before he departed for the World Cup in Qatar."

Moves between Celtic and Barcelona may not be common, but Henrik Larsson made a good fist of it after swapping the former for the latter in 2004, winning the Champions League two years later.

How good is Juranovic?

Juranovic may not have quite the same ceiling as the free-scoring Swede, who struck 147 times for Celtic, but his performances in defence have certainly been notable in his short time at the club.

He has averaged a league-high five progressive passes per match over the last year and also more than two shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, so the attacking side of his play could be a good fit in Barca's 4-3-3.

"It is great he is getting noticed," said Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. "I want our players getting noticed. If they weren't getting noticed they wouldn't be doing well."