Barcelona target Ligue 1 giant on free transfer
Tom Weber
- Updated: 24 Oct 2023 15:49 BST
- 4 min read
Barcelona are eyeing Tiago Djalo on a free transfer, according to Italian media.
The cash-strapped Catalan giants have had to get creative with their transfer business lately. As the club is still mired in financial troubles, the Blaugrana have found themselves severely limited in what they can do in the transfer market.
While marquee signings have still - for better or worse - been made, most major deals Barcelona completed in the bygone summer window were free transfers and loans. This is unlikely to change, despite the club recording profits of €300 million last season.
READ: Barcelona star drops transfer hint that will worry Man Utd
With sporting director Deco and president Joan Laporta desperately scrambling to muster enough resources to be able to bring Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque in this winter, the club may once again be forced to dip into the free agent market next summer, as they previously did with the signings of Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez.
Barcelona eye Djalo
One potentially interesting prospect could be Lille's Tiago Djalo, according to Italian media (via Sport). It is claimed that Barcelona and Inter are the two biggest clubs looking at the centre-back, who is out of contract in 2024.
A towering presence, Djalo is a 23-year-old former Portugal youth international, with whom Deco is familiar. Though the above-mentioned report acknowledges that Barcelona are well-stocked at the heart of defence, this could change in the summer.
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Andreas Christensen is not getting the game time he perhaps expected this term, while Eric Garcia is out on loan - and doing well - at Girona and may depart permanently in the summer.
Barcelona could look to cash in on Christensen - or both - in a bid to further balance the books and bring in Djalo as a more than adequate replacement. The Portuguese is currently out of action due to an ACL injury he suffered in March.
