Laurent Koscielny to Barcelona: Barcelona are reportedly eyeing a move for Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny.
Barcelona have returned to winning ways this season with convincing victories in the last few weeks over top-quality sides. The Catalan side cruised to 4-2 victory over Sevilla, and defeated Inter Milan 2-0, before putting 5 past arch-rivals Real Madrid in season’s first El Clasico last weekend.
Earlier this week, Barcelona registered a victory in the Copa Del Rey with Clement Lenglet scoring an injury time winner against Cultural Leonesa.
Barca returned to La Liga this weekend to face Rayo Vallecano, and secured a comeback 3-2 victory over the relegation-threatened side. Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez scored two goals within three minutes to seal another three points for Barca.
Meanwhile, Barca are also keeping tabs on the transfer market. According to the latest reports from Spain, the Catalan side are eyeing a move for Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.
Laurent Koscielny to Barcelona:
It has been reported by Marca that Barcelona are preparing to make a move for Laurent Koscielny.
The Spanish outlet reports that Barcelona are not choosing an expensive option and instead inclined towards a cheaper alternative.
Calcio | Unai Emery has told Laurent Koscielny that he is not a part of his plans. He is set to leave Arsenal, with Aston Villa keen on signing him #afc pic.twitter.com/m8jwbkZs2C
— LTArsenal™ (@ltarsenal) November 1, 2018
Barcelona are facing a defensive crisis at the moment, as their first-team star Samuel Umtiti is currently on sidelines with injury. With Vermaelen also injured, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet is the only centre-back pairing at the club.
Arsenal and France centre-back Laurent Koscielny, 33, is a target for Barcelona, along with Chelsea’s Brazilian defender David Luiz, 31. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish) #arsenal #barca #chelseafc #davidluiz #fcbarcelona #footballindex #laurentkoscielny https://t.co/vDwY2XihoY pic.twitter.com/ky7EkHhiSv
— Football INDEX Futures (@fifutures) November 5, 2018
The Catalan side is reportedly chasing Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax, but the Dutch side has slapped a 60 million euros price tag for the player. Moreover, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus are all reportedly chasing the young defender.
Mundo Deportivo claim that Barcelona are looking for a new centre back after Samuel Umtiti’s injury. Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny is part of their list of targets to sign in January. #afc
— LTArsenal™ (@ltarsenal) November 4, 2018
According to Marca, Barcelona are preparing to offer Koscielny a 6-month initial contract. There are also reports in England that Unai Emery has told the former French international that he is not the part of his plans, which, if true, could make things easier for Barcelona.
Koscielny is currently recovering from an achilles injury, which he suffered in May earlier this year. The French defender is expected to return to full training later this month.
What next?
It has also been reported that Ajax don’t plan to sell de Ligt in the January transfer window, and want to wait till the summer, when they could get a better offer for the player.
Barcelona, however, seem to be in urgent need for a centre-back, and might instead move for the Arsenal defender.
