Barcelona will reportedly need to compete with Manchester City for the signature of Rodrigo Bentancur, who is currently out of favour at Juventus.
According to Daily Star, Rodrigo Bentancur could be on his way out of Juventus. The Uruguayan international is seemingly not in Maurizio Sarri’s plans and the club could pay heed to any incoming offers, especially with the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City interested in the midfielder.
Rodrigo Bentancur was one of the regulars at Juventus in the 2018-19 season. But, Maurizio Sarri’s appointment along with the arrival of Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot has increased the competition for places in a midfield that already has Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic, Emre Can and Sami Khedira fighting for a spot in the starting eleven.
Bentancur has gone from featuring 31 times in Serie A last season to 8 appearances so far in the league this term. But, the more important thing is the deterioration in minutes played. The Uruguayan averaged more than 60 minutes per game played last season. The 2019-20 season has seen Bentancur play around 50 minutes on average per appearance.
It is also Sarri’s prerogative to cash in on players that are not in his plans, with a few other stars also lined up for exits. Barcelona and Manchester City’s interest would enable Juventus to pull a hefty portion if not all of the €35 million that Bentancur is reportedly valued at.
Barcelona have reinforced their midfield with Frenkie de Jong. Slowly, Arthur is being inculcated into the starting lineup while Arturo Vidal is also being useful. But, the Catalans want to bring in a substitute or a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets.
As for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has already brought in Rodri from Atletico Madrid to be the long-term successor for Fernandinho. But, Guardiola would love to bring in more security in midfield, especially with David Silva primed to exit in the summer.
€35 million for a 22-year-old regular international with experience playing for a top club is more than just in the current market conditions, especially with Bentancur having signed a new five-year deal in the summer of 2019 itself. Barcelona seem to be eager to get Bentancur to Spain, but Manchester City are also keeping a close eye on it.
With Juventus likely to be actively looking to cash in on out-of-favour players, a move for Bentancur is more likely to happen than not.
