Reports: Barcelona eye a move for Bundesliga star

What's the rumour?

Despite the arrivals of Arturo Vidal from Bayern and Arthur from Gremio, Barcelona is still of the opinion that their midfield lacks the cutting edge and are consequently embroiled in the pursuit of a quality central midfielder.

According to Sport, the Spanish giants are now reportedly targeting RB Leipzig's Kevin Kampl, who has also been linked with their rivals Atletico Madrid.

In case you didn't know...

La Blaugrana were previously linked with Ajax's Frankie de Jong, but their hopes were trampled after the midfielder himself downplayed any rumours of him leaving The Lancers anytime soon.

As a result, Barcelona has now set their sights on Kampl, who has also plied his trade for the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in the past. His contract with the Bundesliga outfit runs out in 2021.

The heart of the matter

Barcelona has already commenced their 2018/19 season in a glorious fashion as they hit the ground running against Alaves. In what turned out to be a one-sided match, Ernesto Valverde's side triumphed over Alaves courtesy of a sterling brace from Lionel Messi and a goal from Philippe Coutinho.

However, apart from La Liga, Barcelona will also be participating in many other leagues, notably UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey, which means that the first-team players will need to take rest at times. As per the aforementioned report, this is the chief reason behind search of Kampl as the 27-year-old plays in the same position as the Spanish pivot Sergio Busquets.

Whenever needed, the Slovenia international will be at Valverde's disposal to be utilized in place of Busquets.

Rumour probability/rating: 4/10

Nothing credible has been reported thus far.

What's next?

With about a week left in the summer transfer window, Barcelona need to make haste if they wish to get the deal over the line.