Barcelona have reportedly turned their attention towards 27-year-old Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
According to an update from Jose Alvarez on El Chiringuito TV, Stole Dimitrievski is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in a future transfer window. However, the surprising bit about the update is that the Blaugrana could launch the offensive for the 27-year-old Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper in the January transfer window.
Stole Dimitrievski has been a journeyman in his decade-long senior-level football club career, representing five different clubs thus far. The North Macedonian goalkeeper started at FK Rabotnicki in his homeland before playing for four clubs in Spain. The latest of these outfits are Rayo Vallecano.
The 27-year-old initially joined Los Franjirrojos on loan in August 2018 before completing a permanent switch in January 2019. Since then, he has been a fixture in goal for Rayo Vallecano, keeping 29 clean sheets in 102 appearances to date. Dimitrievski’s progress with the La Liga club has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona keen on signing him in the January transfer window.
The interest from Barcelona is somewhat surprising, even though Marc-Andre ter Stegen has endured a significant dip in performance levels in the past year. That is because, despite ter Stegen’s declining form, the Catalan giants are unlikely to sell him in the January transfer window.
A sale is only likely in the summer when Bayern Munich could place a bid to secure the services of the German goalkeeper. However, Neto’s future at Barcelona is highly uncertain, and the Brazilian shot-stopper is eager to call it quits at Camp Nou at the earliest possible opportunity.
Neto has been linked with several Serie A and Premier League clubs, although those are primarily for a summer move. In addition, Rayo Vallecano might be vehemently opposed to the idea of selling Dimitrievski midway through a season wherein they can genuinely harbour hopes of European qualification, considering they are currently fourth on the La Liga table.
Instead, a summer move is likely, when Barcelona might have several other goalkeepers, including Luis Maximiano, to pursue. It remains to be seen if Barcelona will actually launch a January move for Dimitrievski or keep the pursuit of the 27-year-old on the back burner till the summer transfer window.