Barcelona are weighing up a move for 32-year-old Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo in a bid to replace wantaway Brazilian Neto.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Barcelona’s search for a new backup goalkeeper has taken them to fellow La Liga club Villarreal, with Sergio Asenjo emerging as the latest target. The La Liga giants are looking at the 32-year-old Spanish goalkeeping ace as a potential replacement for Neto in the summer transfer window.
Sergio Asenjo has established himself as one of the most dependable goalkeepers in La Liga since joining Villarreal from Atletico Madrid. Initially signed on loan for the 2013/14 season, the 32-year-old joined the Yellow Submarine permanently in the summer of 2014 and has since gone on to rack up 250 appearances for the club while keeping 83 clean sheets along the way.
Therefore, it is hardly surprising that he features on the radar of one of the biggest clubs in La Liga, with Barcelona keen on signing him this summer. And with Geronimo Rulli tipped to usurp him in the goalkeeping pecking order, Asenjo could be served well by a departure from El Madrigal as well.
The interest from Barcelona makes a world of sense, seeing as they are in a precarious situation over the future of Neto, who has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal lately. As a result, the Blaugrana have been forced into a situation wherein they need to be on the lookout in the market for a replacement this summer.
To that end, former Barcelona goalkeeper Jordi Masip has been rumoured to be high on the Catalan club’s agenda, with other options like Aitor Fernandez, Alex Remiro and David Ospina also emerging on their radar in recent times. Asenjo, though, is a viable target for Barcelona as well.
And with Marc-Andre ter Stegen likely to miss the start of the season, the 32-year-old is just the kind of goalkeeper who can fill in while the German ace is on the sidelines. Having said that, it will be interesting to see whether Barcelona prioritise his signing or that of some other goalkeeper.
For now, Sergio Asenjo is the latest shot stopper to have popped up on the radar of the Catalan giants and it will be interesting to see which way they turn their attention towards once Neto gets even closer to the exit door.