Barcelona transfer plan confirmed by Laporta

Cameron Smith

• 18 Dec 2023 13:55 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club will look to sign a new midfielder during the January transfer window following Gavi’s potentially season-ending ACL injury.

The Spain star suffered the crushing injury while on international duty and his place at Euro 2024 is under huge threat as he faces a race against time to return to full fitness before the tournament.

The absence of Gavi has left Xavi with one less option in central midfield and Barca are hoping to rectify that issue by signing a new midfielder on loan in January.

That has been confirmed by Laporta, who told the media: “If we can achieve fair play, the idea is to bring in a loan midfielder in January to replace Gavi. We’d replicate what we did with Edgar Davids some years ago.”

Davids joined Barcelona on loan from Juventus in January 2004 and helped guide them from mid-table obscurity to a second-place finish in La Liga.

While Barca aren’t in such a dire state as things stand, they are third in the Spanish top flight, seven points behind their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid.

Who will Barcelona sign in January?

As Laporta has confirmed that any new midfield addition will only join Barcelona on loan, their options are somewhat limited.

Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo has previously been linked with a move to Camp Nou, but Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen and a permanent deal seems more likely, while Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Lo Celso has found a place in Ange Postecoglou’s side and is therefore unlikely to depart mid-season.

Arthur Vermeeren is another Blaugrana transfer target, however the Royal Antwerp star is being chased by every big club in Europe and the Belgian club would be foolish to let him leave on loan in January as they fight to retain their top flight title.