Five players who could join Barcelona in January

Cameron Smith

• 8 Jan 2024 17:14 GMT
• 4 min read

Barcelona slipped to fourth place in LaLiga following their heavy 4-2 defeat against Girona on December 10 and the pressure is beginning to mount on Xavi.

While they are still only seven points off top spot in Spain and have already qualified for the Champions League last-16, there are doubts about whether he is good enough to lead this Barca side.

For now, Xavi’s position is safe, but some January additions may help his job security if the Barcelona board are willing to dip into their pockets despite their financial troubles.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through five players who could join Barca in the January window.

Vitor Roque (Athletico Paranaense)

Vitor Roque has already joined Barcelona in January so this is technically cheating, but the Brazilian was initially expected to officially link up with the squad next summer and that timeline was moved up following Gavi’s ACL injury.

Roque has already made his debut and is now a fully-fledged Blaugrana player. He is expected to play a big role next season.

Arthur Vermeeren (Royal Antwerp)

Arthur Vermeeren is Belgium’s next superstar and he is already a regular at Royal Antwerp despite being just 18 years old.

He now has a full Champions League group stage campaign under his belt and he played a key role in helping Antwerp win the Belgian top flight last season too.

Barcelona are one of several elite European clubs interested in Vermeeren - Arsenal and Man Utd have also been linked - and Xavi would be wise to push for a January deal in order to win the race for his signature.

Joao Cancelo (Man City)

Barcelona currently have Joao Cancelo on their books, but he is only at the club on loan from Manchester City.

The Portugal international’s relationship with Pep Guardiola appears to be past the point of no return and a permanent exit is therefore likely next year.

Barca want to sign Cancelo and although a summer move is feasible, they could look to finalise a deal in January to ensure he doesn’t end up joining another club on the continent.

Almugera Kabar (Borussia Dortmund)

Almugera Kabar helped Germany win the U17 World Cup in November and that triumph could be followed by a sensational move to Barcelona.

According to German outlet Bild, the Blaugrana have already initiated contact with Kabar and are hoping to sign him in 2024 to bolster their B team and eventually see him break into the first-team.

A move may not happen and a summer transfer is more likely, but keep an eye on this one.

Jesse Lingard (Free Agent)

This is the most bizarre transfer rumour of the window so far, but Jesse Lingard has reportedly been offered to Barcelona, according to SPORT.

The former England international has been without a club since he left Nottingham Forest last season and could be signed on a free transfer to deal with Gavi's injury absence.

A move seems extremely unlikely, but Barca have a habit of signing free agents and Lingard could be the next star to move to Camp Nou.