Barcelona are reportedly weighing up the prospect of signing 30-year-old Brazilian left-back Alex Sandro on loan from Juventus this month.
According to reputed Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, Alex Sandro has emerged on the radar of Barcelona over a possible loan move in the ongoing transfer window. The 30-year-old Juventus defender is one of five left-backs on the Blaugrana’s shortlist for a move this month.
Alex Sandro has enjoyed a productive spell at Juventus since arriving from FC Porto six and a half years ago in August 2015. Since then, the Brazilian international has experienced tremendous highs and some plundering lows, with the last couple of seasons being difficult for him.
Once regarded as the best left-back in Serie A, the 30-year-old’s stature at Juventus has fallen enormously of late, as he has had to share game-time with other options like Mattia De Sciglio. Sandro has still turned out 25 times across all competitions this season, with Barcelona considering signing him in the January transfer window.
Jordi Alba has endured a sharp decline in form in the last few years, with the Spanish international becoming increasingly prone to making errors. With Alejandro Balde yet to fully settle into the first-team setup at Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez does not have a viable alternative to Alba.
The Catalan giants are thus in the market for a left-back this month, with a shortlist of five candidates drawn up to target. The names featuring on Barcelona’s list are Alfonso Pedraza, Alex Telles, Nicolas Tagliafico, Raphael Guerreiro and Alex Sandro.
Gerard Romero has further added that among these five players, two, in particular, are admired greatly by Barcelona, which suggests that those two are the priority options for them. But Romero has not revealed the identity of the duo, and it is unclear as to who among the five left-backs will be pursued with greater intensity,
Judging Alex Sandro’s drop in stature in recent years, a loan move for him does make sense instead of signing him permanently. But Barcelona will need to firm up interest in the Brazilian left-back quickly, as he is also a target for arch-rivals Real Madrid. An intriguing transfer battle for the Brazilian international could thus be set up between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
