Barcelona are reportedly considering a Bosman move for 30-year-old Dutch defender Patrick van Aanholt, who is set to leave Crystal Palace.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero might not be the only players who will be arriving at Camp Nou on a free transfer in the summer transfer window. Barcelona are also plotting a Bosman move for Patrick van Aanholt, who looks set to leave Crystal Palace as a free agent.
Patrick van Aanholt has managed to carve out a respectable career for himself since leaving Chelsea in the summer of 2014. After spending three productive campaigns at Sunderland, the 30-year-old joined Crystal Palace, where he has improved further, although 2020/21 has ended up being a difficult campaign for him.
The Dutch international initially battled a shoulder injury before vying with Tyrick Mitchell for the left-back slot. Having had to share game-time through the season, van Aanholt managed to start just 21 of the 40 games that Palace played this season. And, he now appears set to leave the Premier League outfit as a free agent, with Barcelona looking to pounce.
Barcelona’s financial woes have forced the club to be more imaginative in the transfer market and scour for cost-effective options for the summer. To that end, Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero appear set to join the Catalan giants on a Bosman move, with similar moves for Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay also in the works, as per reports.
The left-back slot is also one position that is in desperate need to be bolstered this coming summer, with Jordi Alba not getting any young and Junior Firpo failing to impress in his Barcelona stint. To that end, Barcelona have been mooted to be prioritising a move for Jose Gaya.
However, with Valencia likely to hold firm in their bid to keep hold of their captain, the Blaugrana are also keeping their options open, with Robin Gosens among the alternatives. And now, van Aanholt has also emerged as a viable target, who can be a solid backup for Alba, seeing as he fits perfectly in the new formation in place under Ronald Koeman.
That he will not cost anything in way of transfer fee also makes him more attractive for Barcelona, with the 30-year-old Dutch defender being personally endorsed by Koeman. What now remains to be seen is if Barcelona do make a move for van Aanholt. For now, though, what appears to be certain is that he will leave Premier League outfit Crystal Palace as a free agent.