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Hello and welcome to the Barcelona transfer news and rumours of the day! Here are the top stories of the day surrounding the Catalan Giants!
Barcelona keen on former Real Madrid Castilla forward
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Valencia forward Rodrigo Moreno is one of the names on Barcelona's radar as they look to bolster the attacking line of the team.
Having joined Real Madrid youth side back in 2009, Rodrigo was sold to Benfica after just one year spell at Madrid.
Since his arrival to Valencia in 2015 for €30 million, the 28-year-old Spanish number nine has been generating wide interest due to his exploits upfront. In the 175 appearances, Moreno has scored 48 goals and provided 27 assists.
Despite Valencia enduring a tough season, Moreno has been involved in 18 goals so far in the campaign. Moreno is sharp upfront but also creates space with excellent link up play upfront, which makes him an asset for any team.
According to the report, Ernesto Valverde believes Moreno will be ideal for Barcelona as they continue their search for a replacement of Luis Suarez. Luis Suarez is already on the wrong side of 30s and the Blaugrana hierarchy are yet to find a good enough replacement for the Uruguayan.
It is an open secret that Barcelona are currently pursuing Frankfurt talent, Luka Jovic. But Rodrigo Moreno is one of the names on their wish list if they fail to secure Serbian sharpshooter.
Barcelona are yet to make a contact with the Spanish side as they are not willing to rush into the transfer and moreover, Moreno himself will wait for the season to get over before making any decisions on his future.
Premier League giants in pursuit of Phillippe Coutinho
According to Spanish media outlet Sport (via AS), Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are in pursuit of wantaway Brazilian star, Philippe Coutinho.
After making a dream move to Barcelona and making an impressive start to his career at Nou Camp, things have gone wrong for Coutinho as he remains unsettled with the Catalan giants.
Philippe Coutinho arrived at Nou Camp as the club's most expensive signing in history when he arrived from Liverpool last year. The Brazilian has struggled to live up to €120 million transfer fee Barcelona paid to secure his services.
The Brazilian midfielder has 9 goals and 5 assists to his name in all competitions this season, but he is yet to adapt with the club. The Brazilian starlet proved his caliber with Liverpool but it seems that Coutinho is struggling to integrate himself fully with Ernesto Valverde's side, despite the coach keeping full faith on him.
Coutinho continues to feature in his favourite role yet looks like a shadow of the player he once was with The Reds.
Barcelona hierarchy realise that their move for Coutinho has turned out to be a failure. According to the report, Catalan giants are open to selling Coutinho at the right price with three main suitors keen to secure his services. Manchester United, Chelsea and PSG are keen and keeping a close eye on the situation.
However, Chelsea is currently facing a transfer ban right now, and it remains to be seen whether it will be lifted or not as they wait for the final decision. It is natural that the Premier League giants and PSG will enter a bidding war if the deal goes through.
Barring Sport, other Spanish outlets have claimed that Coutinho is looking for an exit and Sport is reliable when it comes to the news regarding Barcelona.
Increasing price tag a problem for Barcelona
According to Spanish media outlet, Sport, Barcelona are interested in securing Bundesliga sharpshooter Luka Jovic but the increasing price tag due to interest from European giants like Real Madrid and PSG makes the move more complicated.
The 21-year-old Serbian sits second in the scoring charts with 16 goals, only behind Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga scoring charts. The attacker has also netted 7 goals in the Europa League so far and there is no doubt that he has played a pivotal role for Frankfurt's progress in the campaign, both in Europe and Germany.
Jovic has also provided 6 assists in the German league and has proven himself to be an asset upfront for Frankfurt. Jovic is currently on loan at Frankfurt from Benfica, with an option to buy for €6 million at the end of the season.
The Serbian sharpshooter made his mark with his nation as his sole goal held Germany to a 1-1 draw in the International break.
Barcelona are currently looking for a goalscorer as a replacement of Luis Suarez and have made Jovic their prime target in the summer. As mentioned, Suarez is 32 and there is no cover for the number nine in the current Barcelona squad which significantly reduces the squad depth of the team.
According to the report, the Blaugrana wanted to seal the deal to secure Jovic's services as soon as possible but interest from PSG and Real Madrid has increased the price tag. It is no secret that the Catalan giants sent scouts to watch over Jovic numerous times in 2019.
Barcelona officials were negotiating with Jovic's representatives for the past two months but they are yet to submit an offer for the Serbian ace. The Blaugrana hierarchy are not interested in rushing the transfer or to enter a bidding war at the moment.
The Catalan giants believe that Jovic has the potential to become world class but are not willing to pay over €60 million at the moment.
