Barcelona are reportedly considering 30-year-old DR Congo striker Cedric Bakambu as an alternative to Alvaro Morata.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Cedric Bakambu has become a priority target for Barcelona in the ongoing transfer window. The Catalan giants are eyeing the 30-year-old striker as an alternative to Alvaro Morata, who looks set to stay put at Juventus this month.
Cedric Bakambu is currently a free agent after running down his contract with Beijing Guoan. The DR Congo international joined the Chinese Super League club from Villarreal in January 2018 and went on to amass 58 goals and 21 assists in 85 appearances for the Imperial Guards.
Bakambu now looks set to return to Europe, with his status as a free agent capturing the attention of several clubs across the continent. The most marquee name among the prospective suitors is that of Barcelona.
The Catalan giants hold a long-standing interest in Bakambu, although they have prioritised capturing other strikers in the ongoing transfer window. Alvaro Morata, in particular, has been Barcelona’s key target this month, as they desperately look to sign a centre-forward for the second successive window.
Sergio Aguero’s premature retirement has left Barcelona in state of panic, with Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong the only natural strikers left at Xavi Hernandez’s disposal. With neither player being a reliable option in the final third, the need to sign a centre-forward this month has been accentuated.
While several strikers have been linked with Barcelona of late, Alvaro Morata has been their priority, with reports even claiming they were closing in on signing the Spaniard. However, Federico Chiesa’s season-ending knee injury has left Juventus with no option but to keep hold of Morata, with Massimiliano Allegri also insisting that the Spaniard will go nowhere this month.
This development has once again left Barcelona combing through the transfer market for viable, cost-effective solutions to their issue, with Bakambu emerging as an alternative to Morata. The 30-year-old recently responded to rumours linking him with the Blaugrana, saying that it is flattering to be mentioned in the same breath as the club. A January transfer could thus be on the cards.
