Barcelona are reportedly considering making a swoop for 24-year-old Nigerian striker Umar Sadiq in the upcoming January transfer window.
According to a report from Fichajes, Barcelona are lining up a winter window move for Nigerian centre-forward Umar Sadiq, who plies his trade for La Liga 2 side UD Almeria.
Sadiq has had a bit of a journeyman career so far. Having started with Italian club Spezia, the 24-year-old made the switch to AS Roma in 2015. During his time with the Giallorossi, he had loan stints at various clubs, including Rangers, NAC Breda, Torino, Perugia and Partizan Belgrade, with the striker joining the Serbian club permanently in January last year.
Ten months later, though, Sadiq made his way to Almeria and has impressed with his goalscoring exploits in the Spanish second division. To date, he has made 58 appearances for the club, scoring 29 goals and setting up 13 more. The 24-year-old has been in good nick in the ongoing campaign, producing a return of seven goals and six assists from 15 La Liga 2 encounters.
Sadiq’s exploits have landed him on the radars of clubs across Europe, with Newcastle United taking an interest in him. At the same time, Barcelona have also entered the fray for the Nigerian international’s signature.
It is no secret at this point that Barcelona are in desperate need of a new centre-forward as Sergio Aguero has been indefinitely sidelined due to a heart issue. Furthermore, Luuk de Jong is not favoured by new manager Xavi Hernandez, and there have already been talks of the Dutchman being shown the exit doors in the upcoming transfer window.
Should that materialise, the Blaugrana will be left thinly stretched in the No. 9 slot, especially considering that Martin Braithwaite is also recuperating from a serious injury. So, it becomes imperative that the La Liga bigwigs dip their toes into the market in January to bring in a cost-effective and feasible attacking reinforcement.
A move for FC Basel’s Arthur Cabral has been mooted of late, with Sadiq also now emerging as a viable target for Barcelona. However, the Catalans would need to free up some room on their wage bill to bring in fresh faces while complying with La Liga Fair Play rules. So, a move for Sadiq would depend on the club’s ability to get rid of Luuk de Jong in the upcoming transfer window.
