After Dani Alves, Alexis

Barcelona

Updated:17/12/2021 00:10h

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Xavi Hernández announced an end to the cycle after the resounding defeat against Bayern and the elimination in the Champions League. “Today we start from scratch”, assured in a speech shared by Joan Laporta, ready to regenerate the squad and tone up an exhausted team. However, the first signing of the coach has been Dani Alves, that at 38 years old improves the right-handed side, and now does not rule out the arrival of Alexis Sánchez (32 years old) seven seasons after wearing the Barça shirt for the last time. A ‘vintage’ Barça that moves away from the rejuvenation announced as the key to returning the club to the prestigious place it recently held in the League and in Europe.

Obfuscated in finding offensive solutions and with front stocking in infirmary (Braithwaite, Ansu Fati and Memphis have for several weeks and Kun Agüero announced this Wednesday his retirement forced by a cardiac arrhythmia), Xavi has already asked Laporta, Yuste and Alemany for a battering ram and a winger.

The priority is Ferran Torres, with which there is a principle of agreement. The differences between the City’s claims (60 million euros) and the Barcelona offer (45 million) are not insurmountable. However, the agreement is subject to the club free salary table getting rid of several players who do not fit into the coach’s plans (Coutinho, Umtiti or Sergiño Dest).

And this is where the figure of Alexis Sanchez, who does not feel valued by Simone Inzaghi at Inter. The Chilean could reach zero cost and transferred until the end of the season in an operation that would allow Barcelona to get rid of Luke de Jong. The Dutchman does not fit into the tactical drawing or the style that Xavi intends to implement, who advocates more for having versatile and highly mobile forwards. In addition, the few minutes that the attacker has had only served to confirm the mistake of his signing. Loaned by Sevilla, Luuk de Jong continues to have a poster in Europe (he left good feelings in German Borussia Mönchengladbach, English Newcastle and Dutch PSV) and interests the Inter, which finds a fit to its characteristics.

The first contacts between Barcelona and Alexis have been positive, although the high salary you receive the Chilean (around ten million per year) is an obstacle that they have to overcome. The forward is about to return to the Catalan club, Xavi is not opposed and Sevilla, who do not have the footballer (En-Nesyri and Rafa Mir are the only options that Lopetegui contemplates) will not put any obstacles. Anyway, Alexis knows that it’s not Xavi’s first choice and that his return to the Camp Nou passes through the departure of Luuk de Jong. The Dutchman, who came from the hand of Koeman, is aware that he will not have many occasions at the Camp Nou but he has not yet spoken about his future.

Three years at Barça

Alexis Sánchez played for Barça since 2011 to 2014, at which time he signed for Arsenal, and had good performances as a Barça player, playing 141 games in which he scored 47 goals and distributed 35 assists. After three and a half years at the Emirates, he signed for Manchester United and in 2019 he ended up at Inter, but with little prominence. Has participated in 14 official games this season, but he has only started two. His offensive baggage is two goals and three assists and he has missed five games due to muscular problems.

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