Antoine Griezmann and other players Barcelona must buy in the transfer market

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  • Antoine Griezmann is expected to leave Atletico.

    Barcelona are set to spend in the January transfer window, with Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho of course being touted as the biggest transfer in world football at the moment.

    While the Brazilian is firmly on Barca’s wanted list, there are other areas in which the La Liga leaders can strengthen on the pitch.

    Here, we assess the options available to the Barcelona hierarchy and manager Ernesto Valverde in the January transfer market and beyond.

    Starting with defence…

    CENTRE-BACK

    Realistic: Yerry Mina

    Outsiders: David Luiz, Andreas Christensen

    The 6ft3 Colombia centre-back Yerry Mina is almost certainly the next defender to join the Catalan giants, with arch-pragmatist Valverde making it a priority to strengthen his backline.

    Indeed, reinforcements are desperately needed as veteran club stalwart Javier Mascherano is expected to return to his native Argentina or even China this month for €10million.

    There is concern, too, with Samuel Umtiti who is reportedly in fledgling talks with Manchester City after the discovery of his €60million release clause .

    If both the Frenchman and Argentine depart, Valverde would be left with just Gerard Pique and Thomas Vermaelen at centre-back, which is why a summer switch for Mina will be brought forward.

    The Blaugrana signed a first-option for Mina last summer but the Palmeiras defender is expected to complete a €9million move this month.

    Valverde could still be left needing another option, though, and that’s where Chelsea misfit David Luiz comes to the fore.

    The Brazilian could be available straight away given his public falling out with boss Antonio Conte. The former PSG defender’s experience and ball-playing abilities make him very much in the Barcelona mould but at 30 and after numerous defensive howlers, he is perhaps not an option the club want to turn to for the future.

    However, staying on the topic of Chelsea defenders, and Dane Christensen, another centre-back who is confident with the ball at his feet, would be worth a punt.

    After a deeply successful loan stint at Borussia Monchengladbach, the 21-year-old has emerged as one of the best young defenders in Europe, coincidentally knocking Luiz out of the Blues first-team.

    His youth, grace and tenacity will surely have the likes of Barca paying attention should Umtiti swap Spain for England.

    SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 27: Yerry Mina (L) and Felipe Melo of Palmeiras in action during the match against Botafogo for the Brasileirao Series A 2017 at Allianz Parque Stadium on November 27, 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)

    23-year-old Mina is expected to join Barcelona.

    PLAYMAKER

    Certainty: Philippe Coutinho

    Outsider: Mesut Ozil, Paulo Dybala

    Barcelona’s long-term pursuit of Liverpool star Coutinho has been well-documented and the transfer appears to be close to a resolution this month, with the Brazilian expected to join the Camp Nou club for a staggering fee €160million.

    Having had multiple bids knocked back for the Kop No10 in the summer, Barca will not want to miss out this time around and there’s no doubting the 25-year-old would prove to be a hit in La Liga.

    It’s easy to an argue that Coutinho is a player that they need, too – especially if they are going to start challenging for the Champions League again in future seasons and thwarting the domination Real Madrid have enjoyed under Zinedine Zidane in each of the past two years.

    To put Coutinho in the same side as Lionel Messi and the returning Ousmane Dembele makes a Barca’s XI truly world-beating. Add in the experience of Luis Suarez and the talent in midfield areas then it would be a fascinating mix of star names.

    The incoming Brazilian is viewed as the long-term replacement heir to Andres Iniesta – but let’s not forget the Barcelona legend is still playing fine football and only agreed lifetime terms with his boyhood side last summer.

    There is a school of thought that Barca should have waited until the summer to sign Coutinho, given the fact they are nine points clear at the top of La Liga and he is cup-tied for the second phase of the Champions League.

    Should president Josep Maria Bartomeu feel the club should not usurp the money they spurgled on Dembele for Coutinho, then Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil is surely an alternative.

    The World Cup-winning German, who has been impressive of late for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners, is out of contract in June and therefore able to speak to other clubs as of now.

    Ozil’s Real Madrid connection could be an issue, and although he is far from a Los Blancos cult hero, crossing the divide may not go down well. At 29, the attacker may see his next move as the final big one of his career and to land a player of Ozil’s quality on a free is nothing to be sniffed at.

    Technically, he is still as good as anyone and created more chances (119) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last year. However, his questionable work-rate and energy levels don’t compliment a free-flowing front formation in which much of the onus will be on working hard to press and get the ball to Messi.

    It’s worth throwing Dybala’s name into the hat but rumours linking the former Juventus man to Spain at this current time are pure speculation – and it won’t happen anytime soon.

    LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal rubs with ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

    Ozil is out of contract this summer.

    STRIKER

    Realistic: Antoine Griezmann

    Outsiders: Mauro Icardi, Alexis Sanchez

    Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has been lined up for a €100million switch and there are plenty of rumours that some kind of arrangement has already been made, with Barca chief Bartomeu having met the forward’s family.

    The return of Diego Costa to the Spanish capital and sluggish form of Griezmann, with the striker only netting five league goals this term, has only heightened talk his exit from the Wanda Metropolitano.

    Griezmann would obviously be a star acquisition and a replacement, long-term, for Luis Suarez and the 26-year-old knows the league better than most. The France star is the focal point Barcelona need and his unselfish play and ability to create and link-up with those around him could help Messi.

    The fact he has also been a thorn in the side of Real Madrid over the past couple of years is another attraction but it’s a deal Barcelona won’t be able to pull off alongside Coutinho in January. It may well have to wait until the summer though questions could be asked as to whether he has actually improved as a player in recent times.

    Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi is a man also touted as a striker who fits the bill, but Real Madrid are also chasing his signature. Both he and Alexis Sanchez – the former Barcelona man who is available on a free next summer – are very much alternative options but could potentially involved less paperwork.

    Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann looks on during the Spanish league football match RCD Espanyol vs Club Atletico de Madrid at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat on December 22, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Josep LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)

    Griezmann is linked to Barcelona.

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