Revealed: the players Barcelona and Liverpool are set to swap
FT Desk
- 25 Sept 2022 12:01 BST
- 3 min read
From Luis Suarez to Philippe Coutinho, some top players have turned out for Barcelona and Liverpool. Now, another two could be set to swap employers.
Barcelona and Liverpool each have unhappy forwards on their books who are out of contract at the end of this season: Memphis Depay and Roberto Firmino.
And according to reports in Firmino's native Brazil, the clubs are looking to make a swap deal possible in the January transfer window, rather than both being a striker down for no transfer fee recouped come the end of the campaign.
Here's the fifth from @Memphis 😯 pic.twitter.com/ZxJS8xMZUz
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 20, 2022
Both players saw their clubs spend big money on strikers this summer. Barcelona paid Bayern Munich €50 million for Robert Lewandowski while Liverpool parted with €100m to acquire Darwin Nunez from Benfica.
"Barcelona and Liverpool are investigating the exchange of two top players from their squads in the next European transfer window," report Somos Fanaticos. "It's only an idea on paper at the moment, but should intensify at the turn of the year…
Both clubs save
"Depay, with no space at Barcelona, could be involved in a possible swap deal with Firmino. Barca's thinking is the same as Liverpool's: looking for interested players so as not to lose current stars for nothing."
Memphis has been restricted to just two La Liga starts this season, although he did open his account for the campaign as Barca beat Elche 3-0 last Saturday.
Firmino has had slightly more joy at Liverpool, if only due to a three-game Darwin suspension for a headbutt on Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen, scoring three goals in five Premier League appearances so far.
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Would the swap make since?
Apart from both clubs gaining talented final third operators instead of losing them, their profiles could also suit their new teams.
Firmino is a build-up player who loves to drop deep and get involved in play just as much as scoring. He could replace Lewandowski if the Pole got injured, but also play alongside him, making chances for, rather than taking chances from, the No.9.
Memphis is also able to lead the line, but he can also play right across it, which is a profile Liverpool have been crying out for since Sadio Mane's €41m transfer to Bayern Munich this summer.
