Barcelona: 3 left wingers who the club should sign in the summer

Barcelona seem to be on the verge of claiming a spot in the Champions League final after they defeated Liverpool by a 3-goal margin at the Camp Nou. However, Ernesto Valverde still has a lot of work to do for the upcoming return leg as they surely will not want to repeat last season's Champions League quarter-final nightmare.

Most of the Catalan players performed convincingly against Liverpool, keeping a critical clean sheet and scoring 3 goals. Unfortunately, the La Liga champions' left flank became arguably Valverde's weakest position once again.

Philippe Coutinho might have had some brilliant moments in the match but, he failed to make a considerable impact in the end as several reports rated him as the worst player among Barcelona's starting XI. He got booed by the fans and replaced early at the second half by Nelson Semedo whom later gave a more positive impact for The Catalans.

Ousmane Dembele, on the other hand, missed a sitter at the tail-end of the match and has also struggled to gain consistent game time at the Camp Nou . The Frenchman has yet to feature for full 90 minutes in his last 10 matches for the club. He also played for just 29 minutes combined in his latest 3 Champions League games.

Hence, Barcelona would surely need to address this lingering problem in the summer window. Here are 3 names that the Catalans should consider to solve their left flank.

Hirving Lozano

Ajax seem set to have a massive advantage at the Eredivisie title race after PSV lost Lozano for the remainder of the season. The Mexican star has been phenomenal for the reigning Dutch champions since he joined from Pachuca in 2017 and has also been linked with Barcelona.

An explosive speedster who is excellent at producing goals as well as assists for his team, The Mexican sensation would offer a significant boost to Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez up front. He is adept at playing on both flanks and has considerable strength in both of his feet despite generally deployed at the left side.

He has scored an excellent 17 goals and provided 8 assists at the Eredivisie so far. He has also proven himself at international levels as he was a standout performer at the World Cup and Champions League despite being knocked out early in both competitions. He seems to be a much cheaper version of Dembele and could be a bargain signing for the Catalans.

Lorenzo Insigne

The Italian star's future at Napoli has been up in the air recently as he has set up a meeting between super agent Mino Raiola and his brother Enzo to discuss the player's situation. He reportedly has a tense relationship with Carlo Ancelotti following Napoli's shock elimination from the Europa League.

The 27-year-old has never moved out from his boyhood club throughout his career but, he might soon end his ties with Napoli due to the situation. Insigne has been known as one of the best wingers in Serie A and has become a regular for Napoli in recent seasons.

Some even refer to him as the Italian Messi due to his similar playing characteristics with the Barcelona megastar. A technical and versatile player who can set up goals or score for himself, he would be a significant boost for Barca's attacks.

He fitted seamlessly into Maurizio Sarri's renowned Sarri-ball philosophy in previous seasons. Hence, he would not have a problem to adapt with the Blaugrana's offensive style. His preferred role is left winger even though he is a versatile player who could play in several attacking positions.

Leroy Sane

Pep Guardiola seems to have under-utilized the German starlet at Manchester City this season. The former Schalke player has yet to experienced 90 minutes of football in his last 6 matches for the reigning English champion and even became a substitute in 4 of those games.

Everybody knows of Sane's enormous talent but, Pep has favored Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva ahead of him for City's important matches. Hence, Barcelona could jump on the chance to snatch the wasted talent.

Overall, the 23-year-old has enjoyed excellent seasons with Manchester City despite his recent struggles. He has contributed at least 10 league goals and 10 assists per season in his last 2 seasons for the Citizens.

He has also worked for 3 years under Pep and developed a lot compared to his time at Schalke. Hence, he would not have a problem to adapt to Barcelona's style and could play at the highest level for many years to come.