Gabriel to Barcelona: The players who could move to Arsenal in part-exchange

13 Apr 2022 10:16 BST
3 min read

Barcelona’s quest to strengthen their defence has seen them cast their eyes towards Arsenal centre-back Gabriel with regards a possible summer transfer.

The Brazilian has impressed with the Gunners since arriving from Lille in the summer of 2020 for €26 million to such an extent that he is now a target for the Catalan giants.

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Barca need to renovate their defence, where Gerard Pique is into the twilight years of his career and there is uncertainty over the future of Ronald Araujo, whose contract is up in 2023. Meanwhile, their lack of depth is startling, with Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti entirely out of form.

Andreas Christensen is on his way from Chelsea, but Barca are eager for Gabriel as he is left-sided and strong in one-on-one duels.

Reaching a transfer agreement for Gabriel promises to be a difficult task for Barcelona, though. The financial limitations placed upon them mean that they have to manage their wage budget carefully – and that means getting rid of some top-earning players, as well as being careful with the transfer fees they spend.

A part-exchange deal could suit them perfectly in this case, but which players are they likely to be willing to offer Arsenal?

The four stars Barca could offer Arsenal

According to Sport, there are four main options.

Neto

Barcelona want to wash their hands of their expensive backup goalkeeper, and Neto could be an attractive prospect for Arsenal, who are likely to lose Bernd Leno in the summer. He would represent an excellent alternative to No.1 Aaron Ramsdale.

Clement Lenglet

Excellent at Sevilla, the central defender has struggled to cope with the pressure at Barcelona. The Camp Nou side want to get him off their books in the summer and would offer to him to Arsenal as part of this deal. He is unlikely to be a player the Gunners will have an interest in.

Riqui Puig

Has failed to reach his early promise at Barcelona and is now firmly in the shadows of Gavi and Pedri as the young midfielder to watch. Possesses outstanding technical ability and is a player who will surely get another shot at a top side if he has to leave the Catalan side.

Memphis Depay

Linked to Arsenal in the past, but coming off the back of a disappointing spell at Barcelona, will the Gunners be willing to become the latest big club to take a punt on the Netherlands international? They could certainly use a centre-forward, but Memphis, who infamously flopped at Manchester United, is better used elsewhere. It seems unlikely that he will be seen as the answer to Arsenal’s No.9 headache.