Barcelona were rocked earlier this week when it was confirmed that Gavi had tore his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged his meniscus during Spain’s victory over Georgia on Sunday evening. The 19-year-old is expected to be out of action for a minimum of nine months, meaning that his season is over.
Gavi has been a mainstay so far this season for Barcelona, as he has been for the most part since making his first team debut. However, his injury now leaves the Catalans one midfielder light for the remainder of the campaign.
Furthermore, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong just coming off serious injuries, Barcelona are not in the best stead in terms of their midfield options. As such, there has been growing speculation that they are set to enter the market in January to sign another, so as to ensure that there are no depth problems in the second half of the season.
MD have compiled a list of five possible targets that Barcelona could sign in January. Due to their financial problems, only a loan is viable, and these players could be possible.
Giovani Lo Celso
Lo Celso has been a Barcelona target for the last few months. He was heavily linked during the summer, but in the end, nothing materialised and he remained at Tottenham Hotspur. However, he could again be a possible option for the Blaugrana.
Lo Celso is a very good creative midfielder, and he has shown that during his previous spells at Villarreal. He would fit Xavi Hernandez’s system very well, and the Barcelona head coach is a big fan of the Argentine. Unfortunately, a deal looks very unlikely as Spurs are reportedly set to keep him at the club until next summer at least.
Fabian Ruiz
Fabian is an excellent accomplished midfielder, although he has struggled since joining Paris Saint-Germain from Napoli in the summer of 2022. He was very solid in Italy, as he was previously at Real Betis.
Fabian would be another solid addition for Barcelona, but given that he holds significant prominence at PSG, a January loan is probably unlikely, especially since Walter Zaire-Emery has been ruled out until 2024.
Carlos Soler
Soler is probably more likely to leave PSG in January than Fabian, although he is probably not as good of an option to Barcelona. He has struggled since heading to the French capital from Valencia, and a return to Spain could help revitalise his career after a disappointing 15 months.
In terms of quality and realism, Soler is perhaps Barcelona’s best option to bring in a midfield reinforcement. However, it would depend on lenient PSG are with wage demands for a prospective loan.
Pablo Fornals
Fornals has been a bit-part for West Ham United in the Premier League this season, although he has played in the Europa League. Still, he could be allowed to return to Spain in January, although whether he is of the required quality for Barcelona is certainly questionable.
However, he could be a financially-viable option, which could put him in a good place to be courted by the Catalans.
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago was one of the best midfielders in the world not too long ago, but he has severely struggled with injuries during his time at Liverpool. He has lost a lot of prominence as a result, which could lead to him being allowed to leave in January, and Barcelona are reportedly interested.
Given that he would be replaced the injured Gavi, it may not be the best idea for an injury-probe Thiago to join, even if it is for six months. However, in terms of quality, he is probably the best player of the five, and he is very familiar to Barcelona, being a La Masia graduate.
The issue with Alcantara is that himself is out on injury too.