Barcelona have reportedly been offered the chance to sign 35-year-old Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic in a Deadline Day move.
According to ESPN journalist Jordi Blanco Duch, Barcelona’s search for a striker late in the summer transfer window could well be about to end. The Catalan giants have been offered the chance to sign 35-year-old Mario Mandzukic, who is a free agent following the end of his short stint with AC Milan.
Mario Mandzukic is one of the most underrated strikers of the past decade or so, having enjoyed tremendous success with clubs like Bayern Munich and Juventus among others while also having represented giants like Atletico Madrid and VfL Wolfsburg.
Now a free agent, the 35-year-old most recently represented AC Milan, having joined them post the end of his stint with Al-Duhail. However, the Croatian striker’s stint with the Rossoneri ended after just six months and 11 appearances, and he is now a free agent. His next destination could now be another marquee club – Barcelona.
The Blaugrana have, in fact, been offered the chance to sign Mandzukic. And with Ronald Koeman eager for the club to land a striker, the veteran striker could be a viable option for Barcelona, seeing as he will not cost them anything in way of transfer fee.
Mandzukic, considering his age and the stage of his career, will only likely be a backup option for Barcelona, with Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay expected to be ahead of him in the pecking order. The Croat, though, could be a replacement option for Martin Braithwaite, if West Ham United pull the trigger on him.
Meanwhile, Mandzukic is not the only striker offered to Barcelona, who were also given the chance to sign Alexandre Lacazette while his Arsenal teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also briefly linked with the Catalan outfit.
For now, Barcelona are focusing their attention on getting rid of the deadwood in the first-team setup, following which they could concentrate their efforts on signing a striker. If and when they do so, it will be interesting to see if they choose to sign Mandzukic on a free transfer ahead of the transfer deadline on Tuesday.