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What's the story
They may not get Philippe Coutinho this summer, but Barcelona are desperate to introduce some class back into their midfield, and to this end, they've looked closer to home for someone who can step into the shoes of the irreplaceable Andres Iniesta.
If the good folk at Mundo Deportivo are to be believed, Barca have almost finalised a deal for one such midfielder - by triggering the €51 million release clause that Dani Parejo has in his contract with Valencia.
In case you didn't know
Dani Parejo is a product of Real Madrid's youth academy who has spent the vast majority of his career marshalling central midfield for Valencia C.F.
The 28-year-old can be viewed as a replacement for Iniesta (at least a very short term one) in that his superb skill on the ball and vision would certainly introduce an element of creativity to a Barcelona midfield that has tragically looked bereft of it in the recent past.
The heart of the matter
Saying Barcelona are not having a happy transfer window is quite the understatement, isn't it?
Despite signing on Nelson Semedo, bringing back Gerard Delefeou, pulling Paulinho out of his Chinese exile and smashing their own transfer record to sign the exciting, young, Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund, the Catalans haven't emerged out of this window with any great credit.
After reportedly failing in their Coutinho bid, their Di Maria bid, and being a touch too late with their Lemar move, it remains to be seen if the Blaugrana faithful will be satisfied with what is obviously a fourth-choice signing on this most important of Deadline Days.
Video
While some may scoff at the 50 million price tag - keeping in mind today's hyper inflated market - but let that not fool you, Dani Parejo can play some neat football
He may certainly not be the worst buy Barcelona have made over the past few summers (hello, Andre)
Author's Take
Barcelona haven't had the best of dealings with Valencia in the recent past - Paco Alcacer and Andre Gome spring to mind - but a certain David Villa did work out quite decently, didn't he?
Parejo certainly has substantial quality about him, and if Valverde can coerce some consistency from the temperamental midfielder, this could be one of the best signings that the Catalans have made in the last couple of years.
