The rumour mill is buzzing with lots of transfer stories as it concerns FC Barcelona. The Catalan giants stunned the footballing world with the surprise loan signing of former Ghanaian international, Kevin-Prince Boateng from Sassuolo.
There were already rumours about Barca looking for a stop-gap striker but the 31-year-old was never mentioned. Mexican international, Carlos Vela was the mooted candidate but that is gone now.
Here is a look at some of the latest transfer stories concerning La Liga's log leaders:
#1 Possible return for a prodigal son
The departure of Neymar to PSG in the summer of 2017 was one that hit Barcelona hard. Even the world-record fee did little to assuage the hurt over the loss of the player deemed as Lionel Messi' s eventual replacement.
This move broke up the famed MSN trident (Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar). The former Santos man has been linked with a return to the Nou Camp ever since.
Now according to the Uruguayan striker, a reunion with the player may be in the offing. Speaking to GlobeSporte at an event organized by Puma in Berlin, Suarez was quoted as saying that:
In football, you never know what can happen. I could play with him again at Barcelona, in a match among friends or even at my home.
While this statement is sufficiently vague, it does give credence to rumours that the players who remain, close friends, have been discussing the possibility. Nothing is expected to happen this month but over the summer, this could be the central saga of the transfer window.
#2 Big news in pursuit of young Dutchman
The name; Frenkie De Jong is one that has hugged the headlines as it concerns transfers for Barcelona for a while now. Much has been made of the Ajax starlet's quality and his abilities being in step with the club's playing philosophy.
Led by president Josep Bartomeu, the club has made signing the 21-year-old a priority. However, they face huge competition from the likes of PSG and Manchester City for his signature.
According to Goal.com, Barca has offered De Jong a huge pay packet of €16 million-per-year (€307,000 weekly). The club is confident that this would swing the decision in their favour as even moneybag clubs like PSG & City may find that a bit too much to match.
Barcelona and Ajax are still some ways apart in agreeing on a fee but it looks like a deal that might happen sooner rather than later.
#3 Deal for midfielder collapses
After a few weeks of being a huge story, it seems that the purported move to Arsenal for Denis Suarez has collapsed. The Gunners had been linked with a move for the 25-year-old to help add more guile to the midfield.
However, while both sides were agreed on the move being on an initial 6-month loan, what came after became a sticking point. As reported by the Daily Mirror, Unai Emery's Arsenal had agreed to pay a €2 million loan fee but could not commit to a compulsory option-to-buy at the expiration of the loan.
In a bid to get around this, the Blaugrana had been open to allow Suarez to join the Premier League side without a mandatory option-to-buy. However, this would have happened only if the player signed a contract extension before departing. With his current contract expiring in 2020, the club did not want to lose him for free in 12 months time.
However, the player has refused to sign the extension offered and has reportedly informed coach, Ernesto Valverde of his decision to stay.