Barcelona offered chance to sign versatile Premier League star: Reports
Barcelona have reportedly been offered the opportunity to sign Brentford winger Sergi Canos. The Spaniard has impressed in the Bees' debut Premier League campaign this season and could look for a return to the Catalan club.
The 25-year-old came through the Barcelona youth ranks playing for the U16 side before making the move to Liverpool in 2015. Canos was sent out on loan to Norwich City where he gained more first-team opportunities before joining the Canaries on a permanent deal in 2016.
But just a year later, the Spaniard's impressive performances in the Championship saw him make a £2.6 million move to Brentford. He has since gone on to become a huge part of the side's rise to the Premier League.
According to SPORT, Barcelona have been offered the chance to bring the Spanish winger, who can play in a variety of positions at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona have been offered the chance to sign right-wing-back Sergi Canós who is now at Brentford after leaving Barça in 2013. His price would be around 10 million euros. [sport]
However, Blaugrana will need to assess whether he fits their squad given the number of players at the club and the need for reinforcements.
Canos would love to rejoin Barcelona and could be used as either a right-winger or a right-back as he has been used by Brentford. He has made 242 appearances for the Premier League side, scoring 35 goals and making 33 assists.
It will take around €10 million to prise the Spaniard away from the Brentford Community Stadium. His contract with the Bees runs until 2023 with there being an option to an extend by a further year.
Barca's technical secretariat will need to analyze current similar players at the club in order to sanction a move. Adama Traore, Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Dest are under analysis and that could have an effect on Canos' transfer.
Barcelona are also being linked with another Premier League winger in Leeds United's Raphinha.
But given the age of Dani Alves, Canos' versatility in being able not only to play as a winger but also to fill in at right-back is being considered.
In this masterclass, Thomas Frank talks us through why he likes to set his team up to “take risks,” his reasons for converting winger Sergi Canós into a wing-back and how this performance convinced him that #BrentfordFC could compete in the Premier League... 🇩🇰👏
Barcelona to make low-profile signings in a required rebuild
Barca have been guilty of making huge transfers over the seasons that just haven't worked out.
The likes of Antoine Griezmann (€120 million) and Philippe Coutinho (€142 million) have joined for astronomical fees and have failed to live up to their price-tag.
The Catalan giants' last outing in the January transfer window has paid dividends though. They brought in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free as well as Ferran Torres for a respectable £49.5 million.
Both have flourished under Xavi's tutelage as Aubameyang has scored 11 goals in 19 appearances under the Barca boss. Torres meanwhile has seven goals and six assists in 22 games played under the Spaniard.
Barcelona will make three defensive signings in the summer. [@Alfremartinezz]
Therefore, a signing such as Canos makes sense given the price is not as hefty as a few signings they've made in the past.
The Spanish winger's versatility also helps deal with a number of key areas in the squad.