Barcelona rivalled for Paul Pogba 2.0

Tom Weber

• Updated: 10 Feb 2024 18:53 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona are keen on Almeria's Dion Lopy, but they are far from the only ones.

The 22-year-old has become one of the breakout stars of this LaLiga season and he is the standout performer in an Almeria side rooted to the bottom of the division. Earlier this week, news in Spain broke that Barcelona had begun taking a keen interest in the Senegalese star.

A holding midfielder by trade, Lopy fits the bill as to what the Blaugrana are looking for. They are still in the market for a long-term successor to Sergio Busquets, who linked up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the summer. Lopy is seen as an attainable target, but Barcelona face competition for his signature.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the former Stade Reims man also has admirers in the Bundesliga. In fact, it is claimed that both Eintracht Frankfurt and SC Freiburg lodged bids worth €15 million in January, yet Almeria flat-out refused, not on financial grounds but simply because they feel that they would be doomed to relegation without him.

Pogba 2.0?

Barcelona will likely attempt to sign Lopy in the summer, but the two German sides - and probably many more - will also be in the mix again. What makes the 22-year-old such an attractive prospect is that he isn't necessarily a typical destroyer despite being a holding midfielder.

The Almeria man previously revealed his admiration for the likes of Paul Pogba, Martin Zubimendi and Aleix Garcia - the latter two, incidentally, also Barcelona targets - who are all more playmakers than mere grafters.

“My idol is Paul Pogba, the Frenchman," he previously told UDA Radio. In Senegal, from time to time they called me Pogba because I admire him a lot and I have seen many of his videos. I also really like Zubimendi and Aleix Garcia.”