As Barcelona prepare to say goodbye to Memphis Depay, manager Xavi Hernández is looking for a replacement for the Dutch international.
Depay will sign for Atlético de Madrid permanently in a deal worth 3 million euros. Although he was not a regular at the side, Xavi agreed to sanction the sale of him only on the condition that the blaugrana sign a replacement.
And according to AS’s Javi Miguel, Barcelona have identified Wolves and Portugal striker Goncalo Guedes as the desired candidate to replace Memphis.
The 26-year-old is available on the market as Wolves have brought in new attacking reinforcements this summer. And the Catalan giants hope to make the most of it to sign him before the end of the month.
According to the report, Xavi has already spoken with Guedes and the versatile winger is excited about the Barcelona project and would be open to taking the step.
The fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes, who has a good relationship with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, could make the negotiation easier.
The report further adds that Barcelona want to sign Guedes on loan until the end of the season, due to his fair play financial issues, while including a non-mandatory purchase option included in the deal.
Barcelona and Wolves had also worked on a similar deal last January, involving Adama Traore. The Spanish winger, however, was not signed permanently by the La Liga leaders.
In addition, Gerard Romero adds that the blaugrana He only wants to cover a part of Guedes’ salary during the possible loan deal, with Wolves paying the rest.
Guedes has previous La Liga experience, having played over 170 games for Valencia. The Portuguese international would add depth on the left flank and could also operate up the middle.
With Xavi open to signing him and the player interested in signing, now it’s up to Barcelona to negotiate and reach an agreement with Wolves.