Barcelona are considering signing 25-year-old Sead Kolasinac from Arsenal as cover for Jordi Alba although it would be difficult to convince the Gunners.
Barcelona are set to accelerate their transfer plans as they look to sign a viable left-back in the current window. Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo are reporting Barcelona are chasing several left-back targets with Arsenal’s Sean Kolasinac firmly among them, although they would face a difficult task to convince the Gunners to sanction a move.
Ever since Barcelona sold Lucas Digne to Everton last summer, they have not been able to sign a viable deputy for Jordi Alba at left-back. The Catalans have prioritised a new left-back and have been interested in several players since, although they have been unable to replace Digne in the side. That meant more responsibilities were placed on Alba last season, although the full-back did admirably well with such pressure.
Barcelona do not want to bring about a similar situation next season and want a reliable back-up for Alba. They had been interested in Arsenal left-back Nacho Monreal before, but the interest has now cooled down, and the chances of signing the experienced full-back are slim in the summer. Instead, the La Liga Champions want Monreal’s teammate Kolasinac.
The Bosnian, who signed for Arsenal on a free transfer from Schalke in 2017, has had a good season under his belt. There were some injury concerns, but the left-back came through it and played a prominent role in Arsenal’s season that ended in disappointment. Kolasinac has made himself the first choice under Unai Emery at the Emirates and Arsenal will not easily allow the Bosnian to join Barcelona.
He has a contract with Arsenal till 2022 and would undoubtedly cost Barcelona a lot of money to prise him away. The Gunners, however, have been linked with a move for Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax, with the Dutch side wanting £26 million for the Argentine. If that transfer is successful, Emery could think about allowing Kolasinac to leave the club.
But with no movements happening on the Tagliafico front, it looks doubtful the Gunners would entertain Barcelona. On the other hand, Arsenal might move the ageing Monreal on from their side. Barcelona might have to look elsewhere. The Catalans are linked with several other players according to the original report.
Those players include PSG’s Juan Bernat, Porto’s Alex Telles, Bayer Leverkusen’s Wendell and Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro among others. In recent weeks the Catalans are strongly linked with Atletico Madrid’s Filipe Luis, and while a transfer looks possible, Barcelona want someone younger and to provide direct competition for Alba.
Whether they can lure Kolasinac to Camp Nou will depend on Arsenal’s stance. Barcelona could certainly accommodate someone like the Bosnian, who has shown through his performances that he could fit in this squad. As for the player himself, a move could be an ambitious choice, but he would know to move to Barcelona currently would mean he’d likely play back-up to Alba and not start many games.
