Barcelona have stepped up their efforts to acquire Gremio’s Brazilian youngster Luan Guilherme de Jesus Vieira in a bid to add more depth to their attacking lineup.
The Catalans’ search this summer for a quality striker who can act as a substitute for the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez have been well documented. The La Liga Champions were dangerously reliant on their star trio last season and will be well aware of the importance of bringing in back up as they prepare to defend their title next season. The search for players who could act as able replacements for the best attacking trio in world football was always going to be difficult, but with not even a month left for the summer transfer window to shut, the Catalans are fast running out of options.
This search has seen them linked with Olympique Lyonnais’ Alexandre Lacazette, Juventus maverick Paulo Dybala and even André-Pierre Gignac from Mexican side Tigres UANL, but till date nothing seems to have transpired out of those rumours. They have also seen themselves lose out on targets like Kevin Gameiro to rivals Atletico Madrid, and Nolito and Gabriel Jesus to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Earlier this summer, it was reported that Barcelona had turned to Gremio’s Luan after losing out on Gabriel Jesus. Now according to SPORT, the Catalan giants have stepped up their efforts to acquire the Brazilian international. Luan, who is currently with his national side at the Olympics, has been in fine form for Gremio and has made over a 100 appearances for the Bazilian outfit since joining in 2014. The report also states that Barcelona director Robert Fernandez is monitoring the 23-year-old over the course of the ongoing Olympics, and has also met the player’s representatives in a bid to work out a deal.
The Spanish publication also claims that the player has agreed to a switch to the Nou Camp, even though he will likely be second choice to Messi, Suarez and compatriot Neymar. He has reportedly asked his agent to prioritise Barcelona, despite having offers from other top European clubs from the Bundesliga, Serie A and England. He would likely serve as the understudy to a 29-year-old Luis Suarez. But with age on his side and his best years ahead of him, the youngster will only improve whilst being surrounded by the best players in the world and is expected to grow into his role in the future.
