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FC Barcelona have had quite a stellar domestic campaign. They were unbeaten till there were only 2 games left to go in the La Liga. Though they couldn't sign off by gaining the 'Invincible' tag, they have every reason to be proud of what they have achieved in Spain.
However, when they look at their European conquest, they will feel disappointed. Their arch-rivals Real Madrid have made it to the final for a third consecutive time. Barcelona crashed out in the quarter-finals against a resolute Roma side.
Though their dominance in the league has been unquestionable, there are still a lot of areas that La Blaugrana can look to improve upon. For starters, they can bring in quality replacements for their old guard and other underperforming players.
On that note, let's take a look at 5 players Barcelona should be looking to sign this summer.
#5 Faouzi Ghoulam
Napoli were having a spectacular campaign before they came down a gear or two at the turn of the year. Their dip in form coincided with their left-back Faouzi Ghoulam picking up an injury. That just goes to show how much influence the 27-year-old exerts on their game from a fullback position.
In fact, he overtook Riyad Mahrez, who had a pretty good season himself, to become the Algerian player of the year. Maurizio Sarri's system thrives thanks to the presence of players like Ghoulam who can carry out his duties to perfection.
With Jordi Alba stepping into the 30s and Lucas Digne not yet proving to be up to par, it is the perfect time for Barcelona to be signing a player of Ghoulam's abilities. Ghoulam had only played 11 Serie A games this season before rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
In those 11 games, he scored once and assisted twice. With Mario Rui deputizing ably for him, he will need to fight to win his spot back in the Napoli starting XI. Hence, a move to Barcelona will serve both parties right.
#4 Sergej Milinkovic Savic
Sergio Busquets has been the engine that keeps the Barcelona machine ticking for the past decade. His immaculate distribution and brilliant interceptions in the centre has gone a long way in helping Barcelona stay at the very top in Europe.
However, Busquets is hardly 2 months away from celebrating his 30th birthday and even his contributions have taken a small hit. That is why Barcelona should sign Milinkovic Savic. Savic has already won the 'complete midfielder' tag and his style is comparable to that of Yaya Toure's or Zinedine Zidane.
Savic is great at aerial duels and is a wonderful passer of the ball. He also has the enviable ability to slalom past players and be a menace in midfield. From a central midfield position, Savic has scored 14 goals and provided 6 assists this season.
While he may not exactly be a like-for-like replacement for Busquets who is more defensive minded, Savic is the kindof player that can elevate a midfield to a different level altogether and could even have his club's system built around him.
#3 Marco Verratti
Andres Iniesta is irreplaceable. But that doesn't mean Barcelona or Ernesto Valverde shouldn't try. Barcelona's interest in the Italian regista who plies his trade at Paris Saint-Germain has been well documented. But now that Iniesta has left the club, they should pull out all stops to ensure they find a like-for-like replacement and Marco Verratti is the best choice for that role.
Though he doesn't offer a level up on Iniesta's size, Verratti is excellent at a lot of things. His ability to pick a pass and run rings around the opposition with his silky dribbling skills are a sight to behold. Even though he is not as big as midfielders usually are, Verratti is a strong tackler of the ball and is always working to regain possession and start off an attack.
He has not exactly covered himself with glory if you look at the stats side of things, but the fact remains that Verratti is one of the best midfielders in the game right now and if Barcelona are to make sure that they don't miss the legendary Andres Iniesta much, they will have to break the bank and sign the 25-year-old Italian.
#2 Timo Werner
A long-term replacement for the ageing Luis Suarez has to be found and Barcelona need to look no further than Germany's first-choice striker for the FIFA World Cup 2018, Timo Werner.
Timo Werner is all of 22 years old and he has been one of the most prolific goalscorers in the Bundesliga. Tipped to be the next Miroslav Klose, Joachim Low gave the RB Leipzig striker his first international call up in 2017 in a friendly versus England.
Subsequently, Low took Werner to the Confederations Cup in which he ended up being the joint-top scorer. Timo Werner runs the length of the pitch at a blinding pace and has been aptly nicknamed 'Turbo Timo'.
This is what he himself had to speak about his pace,
''The quickest players just know how to do it automatically. I like to knock the ball three or four meters ahead of me when I'm on the counter or have space in front of me, that way I can increase the distance between a defender and myself.''
Timo has 22 goals and 7 assists to his name across all competitions this season with RB Leipzig. Those are staggering numbers for a 22-year-old. Timo Werner is almost certain to be Germany's hitman for a good decade and there is no reason why Barcelona should go all out if they're looking to sign a worthy replacement for Luis freaking Suarez.
#1 Antoine Griezmann
The Antoine Griezmann transfer saga seems to have entered its final chapter. After getting close to signing for Manchester United last summer, the narrative has turned on its heels and Griezmann is closer than ever to securing a move to Barcelona if reports are to be believed.
Griezmann has been among the world's finest football for more than just a couple of years now. Griezmann's quality need not be substantiated further. He is a prolific and gifted goalscorer. His electric pace combined with his velvety dribbling skills make him one of the most exciting players in Spain.
Griezmann's numbers talk for themselves. He has scored a whopping 29 goals across all competitions this season in addition to laying out 9 assists. The French forward has quite simply been the most influential player for Atletico Madrid once again this season.
Just imagine Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez playing side by side. Woof, that will be football at its very best, wouldn't it?
