Barcelona’s Serie A Target at Risk of Repeating Past Mistakes

Barcelona has been granted a licence to compete in the Champions League next season, despite the ongoing investigations surrounding the club. However, the road ahead for Barcelona seems to be filled with challenges as they face a turbulent summer and work towards a significant €200m salary limit adjustment. This situation will require creative maneuvering in the transfer market.

President Joan Laporta has already acknowledged that a few players may need to depart the club earlier than anticipated. Interestingly, there seem to be as many potential candidates to stay as there are to leave and join the team.

According to reports from Tuttosport in Italy (via Diario AS), one potential addition to the Barcelona squad could be Angel di Maria, the winger from Juventus. The Argentine World Cup winner’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and he is reportedly open to returning home to Argentina or making a move to Barcelona. The prospect of a warmer climate, the ability to communicate in his native language, and direct flights to Buenos Aires could be appealing to di Maria. However, Juventus is also keen on retaining him.

Barcelona could be a suitable option for di Maria if Ez Abde ends up leaving the club. Abde, the Moroccan winger currently on loan at Osasuna, could be sold if a significant offer from the Premier League materializes. Additionally, Barcelona’s pursuit of Yannick Carrasco seems to have hit a roadblock, and di Maria would provide guaranteed quality on a free transfer.

Interestingly, Barcelona was previously linked with di Maria last summer when he was leaving Paris Saint-Germain. However, the club ultimately opted for Raphinha. One issue with the current report is that it portrays di Maria as a left winger, while in reality, the 35-year-old is better suited to playing on the right side of the attack. This position allows him to cut inside and create scoring opportunities.

If Barcelona were to sign di Maria, it would risk encountering a similar problem to what they faced this season. The club experimented with Ferran Torres, Raphinha, and Ousmane Dembele on the left wing at various points, with mixed results. The lack of consistency and comfort in the system contributed to both Raphinha and Torres being linked with potential exits.

Therefore, Barcelona should only consider signing di Maria if they sell both Raphinha and Torres and if di Maria is content with a reduced role. While the cost of acquiring di Maria would be relatively low, as it would only involve his salary, deploying him on the left side of the attack is unlikely to yield satisfactory outcomes for all parties involved.