Barcelona Transfer News: Blaugrana ready to pay Real Betis €15 million for Loren

Barcelona are eager to sign Loren of Real Betis as a replacement for the injured Ousmane Dembele, Marca reports. The Frenchman is ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring in training. That has provided the Spanish giants with an opportunity to sign a player as his replacement, thanks to a special rule in La Liga. The clause entitles a club to sign a replacement for a player who is out for 4 months or more, even when the transfer window is closed, provided that the replacement plays in the same country.

As such, Barcelona have begun their hunt for a substitute for the Frenchman within the La Liga, and that search has led them to the Real Betis’ Spanish striker. Barcelona are ready to offer the Green and Whites €15m for Loren, however, Betis are reluctant to sell the player to the Blaugrana.

Barcelona need to match the player’s buy-out clause to bring him to Camp Nou

Barcelona’s failed attempt to buy Valencia striker Rodrigo Moreno in the winter indicates that signing a replacement for Dembele won’t be easy, especially given the requirements of the rule. Incidentally, clubs are aware that if they sell their striker to Barcelona, they do not have an option to replace the player until the summer when the transfer window reopens. As such, very few clubs are willing to take such a risk.

Instead, the Catalans have been advised to consider the buy-out clause of the players they are targeting, which can be far higher than the current market value of the players. Barcelona’s list of replacements for Dembele also includes Angel, Lucas Perez, and Willian Jose, but have struggled to complete a deal.

Real Betis have also informed Barcelona that they have no intention of selling Loren, at least not for €15m, since the Spaniard’s departure would leave the club only one striker in the squad.

That effectively means that Barcelona have to match Loren’s €40 million buy-out clause if they wish to bring him to the Camp Nou. With Luis Suarez also injured, the Catalans are seriously short of attacking players in the team and that might force them to sign a striker at any cost now.