Barcelona are reportedly looking at Gremio’s Brazilian forward Luan with a view to bringing him to the Camp Nou.
Spanish publication Sport have revealed that Barcelona have now turned their attention to Brazilian forward Luan, who currently plays for Brazilian league side Gremio, after admitting defeat in their pursuit of fellow Brazilian Gabriel Jesus of Palmeiras. The report adds that Luan will most likely command a fee of €20m, an amount Barcelona would find reasonable.
It is reported that the option to sign Luan was put forward in the latest club meeting, where they discussed transfers. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said in the meeting, that he is happy to play Denis Suarez as a wide forward and is looking to add a number 9 to the squad to relieve some pressure off Luis Suarez’s shoulders.
Gabriel Jesus was Barcelona’s first option but the Palmeiras striker is reportedly in the middle of a battle between the two Manchester clubs. With his reported fee crossing the €30m mark, the Blaugranes’ have decided to opt out of the race to sign him.
Luan Guilherme de Jesus Viera, better known as just Luan, wears the number 7 jersey for Gremio while playing the role of a number 9. The player is widely loved by the Gremio fans, who are reported to be some of the most demanding fans in Brazilian football, and has been watched by several top European sides. Sport also revealed that the 23-year-old came close to joining Leicester City, the new Premier League champions, but the move broke down.
The striker is reported to be interested in joining Barcelona and hopes to learn while fighting for game time in the first-team setup at the Camp Nou. Barcelona’s head of Professional Sports, Albert Soler, had previously said that that the Catalan club had a set profile and wanted a younger forward around the age of 22. Luan has just turned 23 in March this year and would seemingly fit the profile that Soler had laid down.
Barcelona seem to have time on their side in the case of this transfer. This was lacking in their failed pursuits of other forward targets, with the latest being Kevin Gameiro who joined Atletico Madrid. The striker is away on Olympic duty with hosts Brazil and would not be able to complete a move and join the squad until August 22. This gives Barcelona plenty of time to negotiate a deal for the Brazilian forward.