The front page of Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo claims Barcelona are looking at ‘5 signings’ to strengthen the squad in 2019 and this includes a goalkeeper, a centre-back, a striker and two midfielders.
It’s also mentioned that Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot and Frenkie de Jong of Ajax are the two targets leading the list.
The Spanish champions general manager, Pep Segura, and technical secretary Eric Abidal have been working on securing the services of the duo for months.
Regarding the Frenchman, his contract at Parc des Princes expires after the season and he ‘wants to come’ and only the ‘OK’ is missing now as he’s free to sign a pre-contract agreement with the La Liga winners.
Rabiot could be one of the first new arrivals next summer and all that is needed is to convince his mother and agent Veronique Rabiot not to demand more than €10m in signing on bonus.
The Netherlands international, on the other hand, could leave the Eredivisie outfit for a fee between €70m and €75m and Ernesto Valverde has maintained regular contact with the midfielder’s agent, Ali Dursun.
Mundo mentions that Barca will be able to meet the Dutchman’s salary demands and also the asking price is not too high for them.
They may face competition from Manchester City ad PSG, but the 21-year-old has liked the style of football played at the Camp Nou from a very young age.
Barcelona view him as a long-term successor to Sergio Busquets in the centre of the pitch.
