Barcelona set to make a swoop for exit-bound Serie A star - Reports
Barcelona are interested in signing Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and have contacted the veteran for a potential deal.
Buffon has already announced that he will leave after the season, but has decided to go on and not hang up his boots yet.
"My future is clear. This year I will definitively end my long and beautiful experience at Juventus," Buffon told beIN Sports.
"I will either retire or find a situation that motivates me, a different experience to take into consideration. At Juve I have given and received everything. We have reached the end of a cycle and so it is right for me to take my leave," he added.
Barcelona's reasoning behind going after Buffon
Current Barcelona second choice Neto has done a commendable job for the Blaugrana, but Barcelona are hoping to sell him and raise money for new signings.
Someone like Buffon could take over the backup role until the likes of Inaki Pena and Arnau Tenas progress further to get into contention for a first-team role.
At 43, Buffon doesn’t have too many years left in him, but the temptation to play for Barcelona at the end of his career will be too hard to turn down.
Buffon has already won the Scudetto in Italy as well as Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain during his short stint with the Parisians.
Although Barcelona have promoted several young players this season, signing Buffon would be a short-term gamble, and one they are willing to take as he will be a free agent this summer.
Although Barcelona are likely to fall short this season, they have given themselves a good springboard under Koeman to potentially challenge for the title next season once again.
Some of the younger players have impressed for Barcelona, and Buffon knows that they can challenge for silverware next season.
Winning some silverware in Spain and adding another great club to his CV, despite being the second choice, isn’t the worst option for Buffon at all. The Italian has put in some decent displays this season when called upon by Andrea Pirlo, and could do a decent job at Camp Nou.