Oscar has confirmed that he is in talks with Barcelona over a possible loan move until the end of the season.
In an interview with TNT Sports, Oscar has opened up about the widespread rumours linking him with Barcelona. The Shanghai Port midfielder has confirmed that the Catalan giants approached him through his agent while adding that there are stumbling blocks hindering a possible loan move.
Oscar was one of the first high profile players to leave Europe to join a Chinese Super League club when he moved to Shanghai Port from Chelsea in January 2017. The Brazilian playmaker’s decision came as a big surprise as he was entering the prime of his career. Since then, most of the marquee players have departed China amid a change in regulations in the league, but Oscar has stayed put.
The 30-year-old has produced brilliant numbers at Shanghai Port, making 170 appearances to date while chipping in with 50 goals and 93 assists in the process. But Oscar’s stint with the Chinese club could draw to a close this month as he is reportedly keen on returning to Europe. And one of his prospective suitors could be Barcelona.
The Brazilian international could essentially be a short-term replacement for Philippe Coutinho at Barcelona and provide an injection of creativity that is desperately needed at Camp Nou. Oscar has now confirmed Barcelona’s interest in him while suggesting that a move is not set in stone yet due to the stumbling blocks in place over player registrations.
“Yeah, this came to my knowledge,” said Oscar. “Barcelona reached out to my agent to know about this possibility, they knew football in China will stop until March. So maybe, but Barcelona is facing a difficult time now. I was told about this interest, I guess they’re still trying to figure something out.”
“Barcelona has this issue about registering new signings and they’d still need to sort talks with my club. They would want for me to join until the end of the season. They’re still talking, it’s ongoing, but there’s this problem with the new signings – I guess Dani Alves has faced some. It’s nice to see a great club interested in you.”
“We didn’t have any talks so far, there’s no point doing that if Barcelona can’t register new players right now. Barca is trying to sort their end out, then maybe I’ll talk to my agent so we can arrange something. It’d be an incredible opportunity for me, for Barcelona too. I’m in great form here, it would be great for my career.”
“I suppose Barca would also appreciate it as I’m now more experienced, mature and I know they have a lot of youngsters right now. It could work out for everybody. I’d be happy if things work out, but I still have a contract. Shanghai helps me a lot so I have no complaints.”
With just over a week left for the January transfer window to shut down, time is running out for Barcelona to complete a move. But if they can get the deal over the line, Oscar’s arrival could be a major boost for them in the second half of the 2021/22 season.
