The long list of free agents from European football’s top leagues continues to be a point of reference for Barcelona as they look to carry out an austere recruitment strategy next summer.
It is assumed by all parties that Dutch forward Memphis Depay will be out of the door in the summer. His deal is up in June and there is no suggestion that he will continue. Although he has missed much of the season through injury, Memphis has been far down the pecking order under Xavi Hernandez.
One of their potential alternatives is Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino. According to Jose Alvarez, Xavi is a big fan of Firmino, who has lost his place in the Liverpool team.
😱"𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎 𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐚 𝐗𝐀𝐕𝐈 𝐲 𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐂̧𝐀".
🔴🔵¡Ojo, culé! Información de @10JoseAlvarez en #ChiringuitoBarcelona. pic.twitter.com/w9PHmVOfum
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) January 4, 2023
The 31-year-old is also out of contract in the summer, and would fit the bill as long as he is content with a potentially secondary role. Robert Lewandowski rules the roost in the middle of the pitch, but Firmino could potentially play off Lewandowski or wider. More likely, Xavi likes him as an alternative or an extra attacking asset when Barcelona are trying to break opponents down.
