Barcelona have reportedly set their sights on 24-year-old Uruguayan forward, who could leave La Liga outfit Valencia this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Barcelona are determined to fill the vacant spot in attack left by the departure of Lionel Messi in the summer transfer window. To that end, the Catalan giants have turned their attention towards Maxi Gomez, with the 24-year-old forward likely to leave La Liga’s fallen giants Valencia.
Maxi Gomez joined Valencia from Celta Vigo in the summer of 2019 in a deal that saw Santi Mina going the other way. The move, though, has not panned out as envisioned for either the club or the player, with the Uruguayan international being extremely inconsistent at the Mestalla.
To date, the 24-year-old has made 74 appearances for Valencia while managing a tally of just 17 goals and nine assists along the way. However, despite blowing hot and cold for Los Che, the interest in Gomez only seems to have risen, with Barcelona reportedly among his suitors this summer.
Barcelona need to fill the vacant spot created in the attacking department by the shock departure of Lionel Messi. The Blaugrana, to that end, are scrambling around and scouring the transfer market for viable options, with Alexandre Lacazette and Joaquin Correa among those to have emerged on their radar, as per the report.
In addition to the aforementioned duo, Maxi Gomez also appears to be a target for the Catalan club, who oddly view that Valencia forward as someone who can boost their goalscoring figures by a great extent. Barcelona are also hoping for Gomez to push for a summer exit from their fellow La Liga club, which will then bring them into the picture.
While Gomez will not even come close to emulating the impact made by Messi, whose departure has sent shockwaves across the world, having another option at his disposal will bode well for Ronald Koeman, especially considering Martin Braithwaite is facing an uncertain future at Barcelona.
For now, Barcelona have created a shortlist of candidates to replace Messi, which includes Gomez among a couple of other forward. What now remains to be seen is if the 24-year-old chooses to leave Valencia in favour of a switch to Camp Nou this summer.
