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Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's daily Barcelona transfer news roundup. Here are the top transfer stories and rumours surrounding the Catalan giants today.
Lionel Messi recommends Barcelona sign Sergio Agüero
If reports from Spain are to be believed, Lionel Messi has recommended Barcelona to sign his Argentina teammate, Sergio Aguero, in a meeting with the club's new manager Quique Setién. The former Real Betis manager is reported to have had a one-on-one meeting with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner after taking his new team to training.
According to the tidings, Messi believes the Manchester City striker would be an ideal replacement for Luis Suárez, who has been sidelined for four months due to injury. Agüero, whose contract with the Cityzens expires in 2021, has scored 250 goals for the Premier League giants since joining them from Atlético Madrid in 2011.
Maurizio Sarri plays down Ivan Rakitic-Federico Bernardeschi swap rumours
Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has played down the latest speculation over a swap deal involving Federico Bernardeschi and Barcelona's Ivan Rakitić. Reports in Spain and Italy have recently claimed that the Bianconeri could offer the services of the Italian winger in exchange for the Croatian midfielder, with the arrival of Quique Setien believed to have reignited the Catalans' interest in the barter operation.
Sarri was quick to dismiss the rumours in a pre-match conference on Saturday saying, "Nobody said anything to me, so as far as I am concerned, it’s not an issue."
Abel Ruiz set for Camp Nou loan exit
Barcelona striker Abel Ruiz is set to leave the Catalan giants on loan during the January transfer window, Mundo Deportivo (via Football Espana) has reported.
The 19-year-old is a regular in the Barcelona B squad and made his senior La Liga debut in May last year when he replaced Philippe Coutinho against Getafe.
The Spain U21 international has, however, not featured for the Blaugrana this season and is believed to be frustrated at the lack of game-time. There were suggestions that the forward would be given more minutes on the pitch following Luis Suárez's injury but it appears he may be set for a loan move instead.
The potential arrival of Albacete attacker Rey Manaj in the next few days is also understood to be the primary reason why Barcelona want to send Ruiz on loan for the season.
Clubs in Spain and Portugal are understood to be interested in temporarily signing Ruiz, with Sporting Lisbon the current favourites to land his signature.
Follow the latest transfer rumours with Sportskeeda's Live Football Transfer Blog
