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What's the story?
According to Spanish media outlet, Sport, Barcelona are eyeing a move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker, Luka Jovic.
The Catalans are working hard to include new faces in their squad and have already snapped up Frenkie de Jong from Ajax. The Dutch international will join the Spanish giants this summer.
In case you didn't know..
Luka Jovic has a contract with Portuguese outfit Benfica till 2021. However, the player is currently into the last six months of his loan spell with Frankfurt.
The Serbian centre-forward has caught the attention of elite clubs across Europe since the start of the current season. With 19 goals and 5 assists registered to his name in just 29 appearances so far, the 21-year-old has gathered attention from European superclubs like Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
However, according to the report, Barcelona are closely monitoring the player and are willing to discuss a transfer fee with his club, which might be either Frankfurt or Benfica at the end of the season, depending on whether Frankfurt chooses to sign the forward permanently as they have a purchase clause in the contract with Benfica.
The heart of the matter
With Luis Suarez heading towards the latter stages of his career, it is certain that the Catalans are already in pursuit of a forward who can replace the Uruguayan.
Munir El Haddadi's exit from the Camp Nou forced the Spanish giants to sign Kevin-Prince Boateng to cover for Suarez. However, it is highly unlikely that the Ghanaian forward would extend his stay at the Camp Nou, beyond the season.
Jovic, who is currently the Bundesliga's top-scorer, has got the better of Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus in front of goal and could be the perfect long-term replacement for Suarez.
What's next?
With Barcelona holding a 7 point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid in La Liga, there's a feeling that the Spanish league title is Barca's to lose. On the European front, the Catalans face Lyon in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tonight.
With the Serbian striker becoming a hot prospect in European football, it remains to be seen as to which of the European elites are able to lure him at the end of the season.
