Torres in, Coutinho out: What Barcelona need in January transfer window

6 Jan 2022 16:40 GMT
3 min read

Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona — © ProShots

After a dreadful start to the 2021/22 season, Barcelona will be desperate to right a number of wrongs in the January transfer window.

The club have brought back former midfielder star Xavi as their new manager but it won’t matter much if the Spanish coach doesn’t have a squad capable of winning games and challenging for major trophies domestically and in Europe.

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So which players will Barca look to bring in over the coming weeks and who can we expect to see leave the Camp Nou side?

Goalkeepers

While Barca may have problems elsewhere in the pitch, they’re pretty well stocked for goalkeepers at the moment.

There are murmurs that Brazilian shot-stopper Neto may move on in this window or in the summer, but the club should still be well covered with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen as first-choice and Inaki Pena in reserve.

Defenders

In defence, the Catalan club are most likely looking to sell a number of defenders rather than add more to an already bloated portion of the squad.

Samuel Umtiti is undoubtedly the most likely candidate to move on in January, having been on the transfer list for at least a year now. However, it remains to be seen whether another club would be willing to front the cash for the injury-prone defender.

© ProShots - Barca have been trying to sell Umtiti for the past 12 months to no success

Reports have suggested that Sergino Dest could also leave the club if an offer comes in from another top European club, but it remains to be seen whether Barca would be willing to rely on Dani Alves alone in the right back position.

Midfielders

Xavi may have a number of issues with his team, but in Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Gavi, the Barca manager has three young players that should develop into an outstanding midfield trio. Add the experience of Sergio Busquets to that mix and things seem to be ticking along just fine.

However, Barca do have some players that will likely move on. Sergi Roberto has been heavily linked with moves abroad and Philippe Coutinho is widely expected to complete a move to Aston Villa in the days ahead.

© ProShots - Dembele's contract at Barcelona is set to expire at the end of the season

Forward

Barca’s attacking line has been a complete mess since Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann both left the club in the summer and it doesn’t seem like things will be sorted anytime soon.

Fans will be delighted that Ansu Fati has signed a new deal with the club, but the future of Ousmane Dembele is far from confirmed. The French forward could quite easily sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in the weeks ahead.

The arrival of Ferran Torres should help lighten the blow of any departures, with Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong also expected to move on in this transfer window or the next.