Barcelona midfield outcast Riqui Puig is reportedly attracting interest from MLS outfit LA Galaxy in the ongoing transfer window.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig is courting interest from clubs in the Major League Soccer, with LA Galaxy, in particular, intent on signing the 22-year-old.
Puig is a product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth setup and made his first-team debut for the club in 2018. However, he has failed to establish a place for himself in the side, having struggled for game-time under all of the managers he has played for so far in his career.
Fans believed Xavi’s arrival at Camp Nou last year could spark a turnaround in the fortunes of the Spanish midfielder, but that has not been the case as Puig continued to find minutes hard to come by under the Barcelona legend. With the Catalans also adding Franck Kessie and Pablo Torre this summer, Puig’s situation has only gotten worse.
The 22-year-old has been told to find a new club for himself and was left out of the pre-season tour of the US as Barcelona wanted him to sort out his future. There have been clubs interested in Spain but they are unwilling to meet the financial demands of the Blaugrana. Other teams from Europe like SL Benfica, Fiorentina and Fulham have also shown an interest, but no progress has been made on any of those fronts.
Amidst this, LA Galaxy have emerged as a potential suitor for Puig. As per the report, the MLS franchise have already made enquiries about the availability of the 22-year-old Spanish midfielder and are preparing to make an offer for him.
The report further adds that LA Galaxy are willing to hand him a three-year contract until the summer of 2025 and make him one of their franchise players of a team that includes the likes of Javier Hernandez, Douglas Costa and Kevin Cabral, among others.
The player registration window in the MLS slams shut on August 4. So, there is not much time for LA Galaxy to close the deal for Puig. It will be interesting to see if the 22-year-old considers a move to the USA at this stage of his career or decides to stay in Europe and kickstart his development that has stalled in recent years.
