Barcelona's transfer priority revealed

12 nov 2017

It should come as no surprise that Barcelona will focus on beefing up their central defense. Due to injuries and age, Ernesto Valverde has struggled to find a rotation he’s comfortable with. Now, he wants to solve the problem before the condensed schedule gets into full swing.

Mattijs de Ligt appears to be the player they most covet. The Dutch international has impressed with Ajax this season, and the Catalan club’s executives want to see him at Nou Camp in the new year.

Behind de Ligt on their wish list is Yeray Alvarez and Inigo Martinez. Alvarez, an Athletic Bilbao product, made headlines in the last year when it was revealed that he suffered from testicular cancer, and missed time due to two separate chemotherapy treatments. It doesn’t appear that the rigorous treatment affected his play as he remains a staple on his club’s backline.

Another name to keep on eye on is 20-year-old phenom Unai Nunez.