Five Barcelona targets after failed Messi transfer

Tom Hancock

• 7 Jun 2023 21:40 BST
• 4 min read

Barcelona’s hopes of a romantic reunion with Lionel Messi have been dashed, with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner instead poised to join Inter Miami.

The La Liga champions will have to turn their attention to other transfer targets, then, as they look to build on a strong first full season under Xavi.

Who could be heading to Catalonia this summer, then? FootballTransfers takes a look at five potential options…

MORE: Messi confirms Inter Miami move

Ruben Neves

Ruben Neves has been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in the past – but the Wolves midfielder could leave the Premier League altogether during the upcoming transfer window.

The Portuguese international, 26, is out of contract at the end of next season, meaning it may be now or never if Wolves wish to cash in on their star playmaker.

Barcelona are said to be keen on the former Porto man – who helped Wolves to promotion back to the top flight in his first campaign with the club – amid talk of a swap deal for Ansu Fati.

Ilkay Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan’s brace at Wembley last weekend won Manchester City the FA Cup against Manchester United – but the goalscoring midfielder is out of contract this summer, and his future remains undecided.

The experienced German international – who was Pep Guardiola’s first signing as City manager – has been in superb form recently, making some key contributions to help his side secure Premier League and FA Cup triumphs – and put them on the verge of completing an historic treble.

Gundogan, 32, was reported to have agreed a deal to join Barca, but nothing has materialised so far.

MORE: Why Lionel Messi is not returning to Barcelona

Yannick Carrasco

If Barcelona are looking for an affordable and versatile left-sided option, they could do a lot worse than Atletico Madrid’s Yannick Carrasco.

Carrasco has spent most of his career with Atletico – but with the Belgian international’s contract expiring in 12 months’ time, Atleti might look to generate a transfer fee while they still can.

As with Neves, though, Barca are reportedly weighing up a swap deal for the 29-year-old – in this instance involving Memphis Depay.

Joao Felix

It seems that Chelsea won’t be extending Joao Felix’s loan stay at Stamford Bridge – but the Atletico forward could still be on the move this summer.

Could he enhance Barcelona’s attack? His ability to operate in several different roles might make him appealing – but there is potentially a rather big catch…

If reports are to be believed, Atleti value the 23-year-old Portuguese international at over €100m – which would surely prove prohibitive to Barca given their ongoing financial difficulties.

Roberto Firmino

Roberto Firmino showed in his final season at Liverpool that he still has plenty to offer – and Barcelona have made use of the false nine position in the relatively recent past, with Pep Guardiola deploying – of course – Lionel Messi there to era-defining effect.

Having hacked it in the Bundesliga and the Premier League, the brilliantly selfless Brazilian international – who turns 32 in October might yet fancy a crack at another of Europe’s top leagues.

And, only last month, it was reported by Barcelona-based outlet SPORT that the ex-Hoffenheim man would be ‘delighted’ to play for the Blaugrana…