Premier League side Leeds United are in talks with Barcelona over the possible signing of centre-back Oscar Mingueza.
According to Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness), Leeds United are heavily interested in signing Oscar Mingueza from Barcelona in the summer. They believe that the 22-year-old defender has what it takes to succeed in England and fits the profile they are looking for perfectly. With age also on the Spaniard’s side, Leeds are willing to get him on board this summer.
A Barcelona youth product, Mingueza had a breakthrough 2020/21 season where he made 27 league appearances for the Blaugrana. Capable of operating both at centre-back and right-back, he has seen a drastic decrease in his game time since the appointment of Xavi as the club’s manager.
Mingueza was mainly used at right-back by former manager Ronald Koeman at the start of the season but fell down the pecking order under Xavi. The former Barcelona midfielder prefers Dani Alves and Sergino Dest over the 22-year-old. He has also been used as a centre-back by Xavi but only sporadically.
Mingueza looks set for a move with diminishing game-time and just a year remaining on his contract after the ongoing season. The Whites could sign him on a loan deal or permanently, which could hand Barcelona the advantage in their pursuit of Raphinha. The Blaugrana are seriously pursuing the Leeds winger, and believe including Mingueza in a possible deal for Raphinha could sweeten things up for the Premier League side.
Barça president Laporta confirms: "Raphinha is a player we really like and it's true that Deco's his agent. We've very good relationships", he told RAC1 ?? #FCB
"I want to clarify that Deco's not paid by the club. He will just help us because he dominates the Brazilian market". pic.twitter.com/kR9mqdSn3Q
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 28, 2022
Jesse Marsch currently has Diego Llorente, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk, Liam Cooper and Charlie Creswell as his centre-back options. The Whites are eager to sign an improvement on the players they currently have and believe Mingueza could be the perfect fit.
Furthermore, given his ability to play at right-back, Mingueza can provide cover to Luke Ayling in the position, further adding depth to the Leeds defensive department.
The deal looks like it could happen with all parties benefiting from it. While Barcelona will get their hands on Raphinha, in whom they have had a long-standing interest, Leeds will sign Mingueza, who in turn will be promised game-time in England. The Brazilian winger, too, would benefit hugely from a move to Catalonia, where he can compete for trophies.
