Barcelona are reportedly considering a loan swoop for Getafe’s Uruguayan midfielder Mauro Arambarri as Ronald Koeman seeks further reinforcements.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, Barcelona have set their sights on Getafe midfielder Mauro Arambarri and have made an enquiry to sign him on loan for the 2021/22 season.
Arambarri has been with Getafe since 2017, when he joined on loan from Uruguayan club Boston River, before making the transfer permanent the subsequent year. The 25-year-old has been a near ever-present in the middle of the park for the Madrilenian outfit ever since, racking up 143 appearances in which he has scored and assisted six goals apiece.
On the back of his reliable performances for Getafe, Arambarri also broke into the Uruguayan national team last year and now has four caps for La Celeste. And, the 25-year-old’s displays in La Liga seem to have put him on the radars of top clubs in Europe, with Manchester United having been linked to him earlier this summer and now Barcelona taking an interest.
It is no secret that Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman wanted to bring in a new midfielder all summer. Georginio Wijnaldum had been the top target and looked certain to move to Camp Nou, only to perform a last-minute swerve and end up at Paris Saint-Germain. Since then, a host of midfielders have been linked with a move to Barca, but no progress has been made, partly due to their financial mess.
Lille’s Renato Sanches was believed to be close to joining the Catalans but an unfortunate injury has put an end to any hopes of that move going through. Koeman, however, remains intent on adding another central midfielder to his ranks, which makes sense considering Ilaix Moriba and Miralem Pjanic are very much on their way out while Pedri has played over 70 games in the past year for club and country and will need a rest.
Arambarri, to that end, has emerged as a surprise target for Barcelona. While Getafe president Angel Torres has previously made it clear that the 25-year-old would only be allowed to leave if suitors met his €25 million release clause, the Blaugrana are hoping to sign him up on a loan deal and have submitted an enquiry regarding the same to their La Liga rivals.
Apart from Barcelona, the likes of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid have also kept tabs on him, with the latter viewing him as a replacement for Saul Niguez, who has been linked with a move to the Catalan giants. It will be interesting to see whether Barca are able to bring in more new faces given their current state and if so, who they decide to sign before the transfer window closes.